The employment rate for ultra-Orthodox men in Israel has reached an all-time high of 55.8% amid a soaring cost of living and rising interest rates, according to a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The figure for the second quarter of 2023 that was released last week is still far below the employment rate of non-ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, which stands at 87%, and ultra-Orthodox women, nearly 80% of whom work.
The proportion of haredi men employed had hovered just above 50% in recent years.
Some of the increase in employment by ultra-Orthodox men is attributed to rising interest rates, which are driving up mortgage payments.
Many haredi men in Israel study Torah full-time while getting by financially on charity, state subsidies and salaries earned by their wives.
The employment rate among Arab men was 77.6% in the first half of 2023, while 44.75% of Arab women worked outside the home.