NII Director General Esther Dominissini
Photo: Ofer Amram
Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog
Photo: Ofer Amram
Jobless claims down 24%
National Insurance Institute says first half of 2010 saw steadfast decline in applications for unemployment benefits
The first half of 2010 has noted a 24% decrease in jobless claims and a 9% drop in unemployment benefits applications filed with the National Insurance Institute (NII).
According to the data, reported Monday, June 2010 saw 14,600 new unemployment claims filed, a number that coincides with unemployment rates, which according to the Central Bureau of Statistics came to 6.9% for the period of March and April.
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NII data further suggests that only half of those categorized as "young jobless" maxed out their entitlement period. The data, said NII Director General Esther Dominissini, "Suggests that young people wish to rejoin the workforce as soon as they can, and make minimum use of their unemployment benefits."
Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog commented on the data, saying that "Despite the steady decrease in jobless claims, as evident from the past six months, we still have high unemployment rates.
"This is a problem we are dealing with constantly, be it through aid packages, job training and coaching, and my bill, which was just passed by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, which preserves unemployment benefits' rights through the first stages of the job search.
"All of these steps meet, even if only partially, the needs of the unemployed and their families," he concluded.
