Governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer presented data to the government indicating the poverty rate among haredim and Arabs in Israel has increased by 50% in the past decade. Meanwhile, the poverty rate has not risen among the general population, remaining at 13%.
Fisher explained these statistics have to do with the fact that most men work in professions that do not earn anything from the market growth, as apposed to the fields of high-tech and other services. Fisher offered an example and said that the rate of construction workers among the Arab populations is 45% compared to 22% in the Jewish population. (Tani Goldstein)