Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Israel (Ratification: 1959)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Equality of opportunity and treatment irrespective of race, national extraction or religion. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that, among the Arab Israeli population, the labour force participation rate for 2007 was 21.7 per cent for women and 64.8 for men. The unemployment rates for Arab Israeli men and women for 2007 were 9.6 per cent and 15.2 per cent, respectively, slightly less than the year before. However, the Committee remains concerned at the considerably higher levels of unemployment rates of the Arab Israeli population as compared to the Jewish population (6.8 per cent in 2007), the very low rate of labour force participation of Arab Israeli women and the concentration of members of the Arab, Druze and Circassian population in a few sectors characterized by low wages, such as agriculture and hotels and restaurants. The Committee notes that, according the 2008 Annual Report of the Bank of Israel, various studies examining employment and wages of Arab Israelis found that, among other reasons, discrimination in the labour market affects the participation patterns of this group. The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission reported that many Arab citizens consider themselves as victims of direct or indirect discrimination, although only a limited percentage of the 391 complaints received by the Commission since its establishment in September 2008 related to discrimination on the grounds of nationality or ethnic origin.

The Committee notes with interest the measures taken by the Government with a view to ensuring that by 2012 at least 10 per cent of all civil servants come from the Arab, Druze and Circassian population groups, including through the establishment of “designated posts”, adjustments to the recruitment procedures, public information and support to successful candidates in the form of coaching and rental subsidies. In 2008, Arabs and Druze represented 6.67 per cent of all civil servants, up from 6.17 in 2007. Among newly employed civil servants in 2008, 11.66 per cent belonged to these groups (up from 8.7 per cent in 2007). Among newly recruited women, 9.2 per cent were Arab or Druze, compared to a rate of 15.5 per cent for men. The Committee further notes the information provided regarding the various projects carried out by the Authority for the Economic Development of the Arab, Druze and the Circassian Sector, including training programmes targeting women from these groups and the establishment of employment guidance centres and support for women entrepreneurs.

The Committee requests the Government to provide the following:

(i)    updated information, disaggregated by sex, on labour force participation, unemployment and employment rates of Arab Israelis and the corresponding rates for other Israelis;

(ii)   detailed information on the specific measures taken to promote equal access to employment of Arab Israelis, particularly women, and to promote their access to a wider range of occupations and industries, as well as information on the results achieved in this regard, including related statistical information;

(iii)  updated and detailed information on the progress made in promoting and ensuring equal access of the Arab, Druze and Circassian population to employment in the civil service, including statistical information, disaggregated by sex, and the outcomes of the employment-related projects under the responsibility of the Authority for the Economic Development of the Arab, Druze and the Circassian Sector; and

(iv)  information on the specific measures taken to prevent and address instances of direct and indirect discrimination in employment and occupation against Arab Israelis, including awareness-raising campaigns, handling of complaints, as well as information on any cases of such discrimination addressed by the courts or the labour inspection service.

The Committee is raising other points in a request addressed directly to the Government.