Since March - 57% of women have applied for unemployment benefits from the National Insurance compared to 43% of men
The National Insurance Institute reiterates: The National Insurance Institute's unpaid leave outline has not yet been agreed upon and has not yet passed the legislative stages in the Knesset
The National Insurance is publishing preliminary data today (Tuesday) indicating the effects of the 'Roaring Lion' war on the Israeli labor market. The data shows that women make up the majority of claims for unemployment and unpaid leave benefits since the outbreak of the war.
Employment impact data:
Unemployment benefits: Since the beginning of the month, 8,449 citizens have submitted new claims for unemployment benefits to the National Insurance Institute, whose work cessation date began during March. Of these, 57% are women (4,799 female applicants) compared to 43% men (3,650 male applicants).
Unpaid leave: Of all applicants, 953 citizens submitted a claim due to forced unpaid leave. In this figure, the gender gap is particularly striking: 72% of those taking unpaid leave are women (689 women compared to 264 men). The National Insurance would like to emphasize that the unpaid leave outline adapted to the 'Roaring Lion' war - announced by the Minister of Finance - has not yet been agreed upon and has not yet passed legislation in the Knesset, and therefore the issue cannot be implemented or addressed at this stage.
Income support: So far, 1,887 claims have been submitted to the National Insurance Institute (731 first applications and 1,156 repeat claims). Since this benefit is defined as familial, and in cases of couples it includes both spouses, it is not possible at this stage to segment the figure by gender.
Demographic and geographic breakdown of unemployment benefit claimants:
The data reflects a horizontal impact on family units:
Parents of children: 3,809 of the claimants are parents of children under the age of 18, with 2,226 of them being mothers.
Marital status: 4,355 of the claimants are married (2,456 women and 1,899 men) and 4,092 are unmarried (2,341 women and 1,751 men).
Regional distribution: The Central District leads in the number of new claims to the National Insurance (1,978), followed by the Tel Aviv District (1,659) and the Northern District (1,481). In the capital, Jerusalem, 646 new claims were filed.
National Insurance: "The National Insurance is closely monitoring the changes in the labor market since the start of the war, and is working to maximize the rights of the victims, especially against the backdrop of the emerging trend indicating widespread harm to women. We would like to emphasize that the implementation of the draft law is conditional on the completion of the legislative procedures in the Knesset, and only with its final approval will it be possible to implement it. From the moment the legislation is passed, the National Insurance will work to promote the computer developments that will be determined according to the draft law, receiving claims from the public, and cross-referencing data from employers and other entities. There is no doubt that the difficulty and sensitivity of employment during an emergency is felt, especially as we are so close to Passover."