Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Israel (Ratification: 1965)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Gender pay gap. The Committee notes from the Diversity Index – Sixth Edition (May 2022) Abstract, referenced in the Government’s report, that “the gender wage gap in the Israeli economy has remained high and stable over the past six years in most sectors of the economy: women, in general, have seen almost no change in their wage gap compared to men, and the wage gap for academic women is often higher than for non-academic women. For women in diverse groups, the gender pay gap is even higher.” The same document indicates that the gender pay gap in the central government has increased in the last six years, and that the pay gap between men and women without an academic degree has increased from 22 to 34 per cent. The Committee further notes that, out of all the population groups covered by the Diversity Index (namely women, Arabs, Ethiopians, ultra-Orthodox Jews and persons aged 45 and above), women in diverse groups without an academic education saw the most increase in representation in the labour market in the last six years. However, their representation remains poor in prestigious sectors, where they often occupy junior positions with low wage levels. For example, in the computer manufacturing industry, ultra-Orthodox women still earn 50 per cent of the wages of non-Orthodox Jewish workers. The Committee asks the Government to: (i) provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to reduce the pay gap between men and women in every population group, both in the public and the private sectors; and (ii) provide up-to-date statistical data on the evolution of the gender pay gap and the distribution of men and women in the different sectors and occupations, in both the private and public sectors, including data for the different population groups.

Article 2. Measures to promote equal remuneration. The Committee takes note of the Government’s indication that the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), established under the Ministry of Economy, works to further the implementation of the Encouragement of Integration and Promotion of Women in Work and Adjusting Work Places for Women Law, 2008. It also notes the Government’s reiteration that, in August 2020, the Male and Female Workers Equal Pay Law, 1996, was amended. The new amendment applies only to large companies with more than 518 employees, as well as other companies that already had reporting obligations, including some public companies and government corporations. The amendment calls for three different reports to be released, all aimed at different audiences: (1) the first is an internal report, which requires employers to divide their employees into various categories and then report the average salary for men and women in each group. How employees are divided and categorized is left up to the employers' discretion. The internal report's main purpose is to serve the employer to find and monitor the gaps in salaries between male and female employees; (2) companies then are required to release a public report, which can be published on the company's website. It should not relate to specific employees due to privacy matters, and it should generally provide just an overall and a general view of the company’s pay gaps, if any; and (3) employers are required to provide a personal report to each employee, and each employee should be able to review the gap in the salary between his or her salary and his or her colleagues. The Committee notes that, although the requirements are in the amendment, there is no mechanism for enforcement. The amendment does not include any criminal liabilities or fines, or any payment to the government or investigation. The Government reports that the EEOC has issued guidelines, delivered lectures and held interviews in the media to promote greater understanding of the concept of the Convention and facilitate the implementation of this amendment. Finally, the Government indicates that, in order to encourage women’s integration in the labour market, the Minister of Economy offers grants and prizes to employers who stand out in their efforts to equally integrate women in the workforce. Noting that the first reports must have been published by 1st June 2022, the Committeerequests the Government to provide information on the effective application of the amendment by companies subject to the new reporting obligations and any assessment that can be drawn after two years of implementation.

Article 4. Cooperation with workers’ and employers’ organisations. The Committee takes note of the Government’s general statement that the EEOC has trained and advised various employers and workers, but notes that it does not specify if any of these activities concerned the principle of the Convention. The Committeeagain asks the Government to provide information on its cooperation with workers’ and employers’ organisations for the purpose of giving effect to the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for workof equal value, including through the activities of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and its advisory committees.