On the occasion of International Women’s Day, which takes place today, the Employment Service presents an in-depth analysis that examines the employment effects of the Corona crisis on women compared to men in Israel.
According to a study by Dr. Gal Zohar, director of the Employment Service’s Research and Policy Unit, the proportion of women among those enrolled as jobseekers is significantly higher than the proportion of men during and during each of the three closures.
Throughout the corona year there were more registrants than registrants, but the gap reflected the accordion movement that characterized the economy this year. With the entry into closures, the proportion of women among job seekers has risen, and so has the gender gap.
With the exit from the closures and between the closures, the gap narrowed, although it did not close. During the past year, the proportion of women among job seekers ranged from 52.5% to 58.5% of all job seekers.
The data also show that women are more vulnerable to the accordion fluctuations that characterize the corona year, and this is reflected in the fact that the rate of jobseekers in the Knesset is higher than the rate of jobseekers in the Khalat. However, men are more likely to fall into long-term unemployment.
Data from the Employment Service show that both in layoffs and outings, the proportion of men in long-term unemployment (more than half a year) was higher throughout the months of the corona year.
Another interesting statistic is that the proportion of mothers of children under the age of 18 among job seekers is 20% higher than the proportion of fathers of children. This means, explains Dr. Zohar, that when the education system closes and the children have no frameworks – those who are usually forced to look after the children are the mothers.
“This mainly reflects an economic decision, where the spouse who earns higher wages is the one who will continue to work, while the spouse who earns lower wages and the exchange rate between his wages and the higher benefit paid to him will exercise his entitlement to unemployment benefits – and usually women earn less than men.”