9CV9 Research Series · 2026 Edition
State of Hiring &
Recruitment in Israel
A comprehensive data analysis of Israel's labour market, talent landscape, and emerging recruitment trends — backed by verified sources from the Israel CBS, Innovation Authority, Taub Center, and leading industry reports.
4.45M
Employed Persons (2025)
2.7%
Unemployment (Feb 2026)
152K
Job Vacancies (Dec 2025)
₪39,810
Avg Tech Salary
01
Employment Overview
4.45M
Total employed in Israel (2025 peak — 5th consecutive year of growth)
60.8%
Employment rate, unchanged (February 2026)
62.5%
Labour force participation rate (Feb 2026, slight dip from 62.7%)
2.7%
Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (Feb 2026 — lowest since mid-2025)
3.13%
Q4 2025 unemployment (15–64 years, OECD seasonally adjusted)
145.7K
Total unemployed persons (Oct 2025 CBS data)
02
Job Vacancies & Labour Demand
152,134
Total Job Vacancies
December 2025
(Highest since Oct 2022)
December 2025
(Highest since Oct 2022)
4.59%
Unfilled Job Rate
of All Positions
(Highest since Oct 2022)
of All Positions
(Highest since Oct 2022)
1.9
Supply-demand ratio (overall Q2 2025 — unchanged from Q1)
0.5
Supply-demand ratio for unskilled construction & mining (2 vacancies per job seeker)
~10%
Share of all vacancies accounted for by sales workers alone
03
High-Tech & Startup Nation
403K
High-tech workers in Israel (H1 2025 — 11.5% of total workforce)
17%
High-tech contribution to Israel's GDP (~₪317B, unchanged 2 years)
57%
Share of total national exports attributable to high-tech
-6.5%
Decline in R&D employment in H1 2025 vs. same period 2024
<2%
Annual high-tech employment growth rate since 2023 (vs. 5%+ in prior decade)
440K
Total Israeli high-tech employees abroad (vs. ~400K in Israel)
60%
Share of 2024 new recruitments made within Israel despite global presence
1,500+
Active deep-tech companies in Israel (2nd only to US in Western world)
$28B
Deep-tech investment raised in Israel 2019–2025 (largest Western hub ex-US)
Warning Signal: For the first time in a decade, high-tech employment declined by ~5,000 in 2024, even as Israel remains a global deep-tech leader. New startup formation is at less than half the level of a decade ago.
04
Wages & Salaries
₪39,810
Average Tech Salary (2025)
+7.4% Year-on-Year
GotFriends Annual Report 2026
+7.4% Year-on-Year
GotFriends Annual Report 2026
₪13,600
National Average Monthly Wage
H1 2025 (-0.8% real decline)
Taub Center / CBS Data
H1 2025 (-0.8% real decline)
Taub Center / CBS Data
2.8×
High-tech average salary vs. overall economy average (2024 CBS data)
+21%
Salary surge for development managers & team leaders in 2025
+15%
Rise in starting salary for IDF veterans entering civilian market (2025)
₪6,248
Monthly minimum wage (unchanged from 2025 into 2026, NIS)
-0.8%
Real wage decline in H1 2025 — first decline after 2 years of wage growth
₪31,922
Highest average salary sector: Utilities (electricity, gas, steam) H1 2025
05
Gender, Diversity & Inclusion
54%
Gender pay gap (economy-wide): Men earn ₪18,441 vs. women ₪11,940 (NII, H1 2025)
7.4%
Tech sector gender pay gap (GotFriends 2026) — narrowed from 11% in 2024
54%
Women's share among data analysts in tech (avg salary ₪28,241)
6%
Women's share in cybersecurity, Python dev, and AI roles (vast underrepresentation)
77%
Arab men's employment rate (early 2025 — slightly below 2023 peak of 79%)
~1%
Arab women's representation in high-tech (lowest of all population groups)
20%
Non-Haredi Jewish men in high-tech (vs. 5% Haredi, 2% Arab men)
15%
Regional employment gap: Northern/Southern/Jerusalem districts vs. Tel Aviv & Central
519+
Employee threshold for mandatory gender pay gap reporting (Equal Pay Law)
06
Foreign Workers & Labour Migration
227,044
Total Foreign Workers
in Israel (2025 PIBA data)
in Israel (2025 PIBA data)
61,000
New Work Permits
Issued in 2025
Issued in 2025
3.3%
New foreign worker quota cap (% of total population, ~330K maximum)
8K
Palestinian workers still permitted (vs. ~190,000 before October 2023 war)
~95K
Palestinians previously in construction alone before war — now replaced by Asians
25,000
New quota for trade & services sector (up from 12,800) as of early 2026
40K
Foreign construction workers delayed by bureaucracy despite approved permits (2026)
₪27,132
Minimum prevailing wage for foreign expert workers (effective Jan 1, 2026)
07
AI Adoption & Future of Work
95%
Israeli tech workers using generative AI tools regularly (Brookdale Institute 2025)
78%
Daily AI tool users among Israeli tech employees
28%
All Israeli businesses that have adopted AI (Israel Democracy Institute, 2025)
9%
Businesses reporting workforce reduction due to AI adoption
20%
Tasks AI can perform better than average Israeli worker (Taub Center estimate)
16%
Share of workers in occupations where AI outperforms in 50%+ of tasks
+9%
AI specialist salary premium over average tech roles (₪43,212 avg)
56%
Tech roles offering 2 WFH days per week (dominant hybrid model, 2025)
70-85%
Israeli tech companies offering hybrid work (2–3 office days/week required)
08
Cybersecurity Hiring Spotlight
20%+
Israel's share of global cyber deep-tech investment (highest globally)
30%
Share of all Israeli high-tech investments going to cybersecurity companies (2024–H1 2025)
469+
Active cybersecurity companies operating in Israel (2025)
12.78%
Annual growth rate of Israel's cybersecurity sector (CAGR through 2029)
₪120K
Top single contract in 2025: vulnerability researcher (GotFriends)
32%
Israel's share of world's top 150 most innovative cyber companies