Indian workers step into Israel’s construction industry amidst labor shortages following the Gaza conflict
Raju Nishad, a 35-year-old construction worker from Uttar Pradesh, navigates scaffolding at a bustling construction site in Beer Yaaqov, Israel. He is among the growing number of Indian workers filling the gap left by Palestinian laborers barred from entering Israel after the October 7, 2023, attacks, reported abs-cbn.com.
Indians take center stage in Israel’s construction boom
Nishad and his colleagues represent a significant shift in Israel’s labor market. Before the conflict, sites like this would have been filled with Arabic-speaking Palestinian workers. Today, Hindi, Hebrew, and Mandarin dominate the air. Despite air raid sirens and warnings, Nishad remains unfazed. “There’s nothing to be afraid of here,” he said. “Once the sirens stop, we resume work.” He hopes to use his earnings, which are three times higher than in India, to invest in a secure future for his family.
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Around 16,000 Indian workers have arrived in Israel over the past year, with plans to bring in thousands more
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India, with its vast pool of skilled labor and strong relations with Israel, has become a natural recruitment ground
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Samir Khosla, chairman of Delhi-based Dynamic Staffing Services, has already facilitated the arrival of over 3,500 workers and aims to bring in up to 10,000 more.
Impact on Israel’s housing sector
Before the conflict, Israel’s construction workforce included 80,000 Palestinians and 26,000 foreigners. However, only 30,000 foreign workers, including Indians, are now employed, causing a 25% decline in activity compared to pre-war levels. Eyal Argov of the Bank of Israel predicts potential delays in housing supply, which could lead to future shortages given Israel’s annual population growth of 2%.
In Tel Aviv, Indian workers like Suresh Kumar Verma, also from Uttar Pradesh, share small apartments and cook familiar dishes to stay connected to their roots. Verma, working at a site north of Tel Aviv, echoes Nishad’s sentiment: “Making money is necessary for the family’s future. It’s important to continue working hard.”
Israeli researchers acknowledge that while the influx of Indian workers helps, their numbers still fall short of replacing the Palestinian workforce. The long-term effects on Israel’s housing sector remain to be seen.
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