Israel's job openings raced to a new record high in September as employers struggle to find workers, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported on Sunday.
After seeing a slight drop in the number of available positions on the labor market between July and August, job openings soared again and hit an all-time high of 137,487 vacant posts, compared to just 133,835 the previous months.
The previous record was only set in July, with 134,310 job vacancies. Employers nationwide also reported that 129,208 positions remained unmanned in June, 122,843 in May, 115,879 in April and 102,363 in March.
Vacancies accounted for 4.79% of all posts on the market in August and 4.90% in September.
Climbing job vacancies are a source of concern for the government as it tries to kick the economy back into gear and cut unemployment in different ways, including paying grants to those returning to work.
There are more than 300,000 Israelis who are currently unemployed — nearly half of whom could have found a job, officials estimate, but are in no hurry to do so.
One possible explanation for the phenomenon could be the desire of workers who have not been employed for a long time due to the COVID-19 crisis to explore new avenues — some looking for jobs in new fields, while others live off of government grants and even many young people moving back with their parents until they find a new and more lucrative job.