Palestinian construction worker quota increased
Government approves additional 750 Palestinian construction workers in Israel
The quota for Palestinian construction workers in Israel has been increased from 13,500 to 14,250.
In addition, Palestinians from the West Bank will be allowed to work in three shifts, morning, afternoon and evening, an imperative decision for hot summer days.
"This is a great accomplishment for the industry, that has had to deal with a big manpower shortage," said Yossi Gordon, director general of the Contractors' Association.
"Owing to increased investments in infrastructure and an accumulation of hundreds of millions of dollars in projects planned over the over the next few years, the shortage will only get worse and will affect contractors' abilities to stick to schedules and finish the projects on time," he stated.
The three daily shifts meant that the crossings between the West Bank and Israel would operate around the clock, he added, to enable the workers to come to their afternoon and evening shifts.
This will be particularly beneficial for contractors who deal with infrastructures that require more work to be done later in the day such as paving roads, building overpasses and other projects that cannot be performed during the day due to heavy traffic," he said.
The decision to increase the quota was made by the Association of Contractors and Builders in Israel, the Israeli Union of Developers and Builders and the Defense Ministry.
Two months ago, the government approved an additional 3,000 foreign workers for the agricultural industry, especially for peripheral communities. According to predetermined criteria, these farms will receive extra workers in addition to the regular quota set for the entire industry.
As the government is aware of the difficulty finding Isaeli workers further away from the center of Israel, it also decided that the farms in the periphery did not have to comply with the condition that they hire an Israeli worker for every foreign one.
