Last Updated on November 5, 2021

Finding a job in Israel in English: A general overview of employment & the job market in Israel.

Hebrew: שוק העבודה הישראלי לדוברי אנגלית

Finding a job  in Israel can be challenging especially if you have limited Hebrew language skills.  To help you our we have complied a list of some of the very many employment opportunities for English speakers and foreigners living in Israel.

Tel Aviv is known as the city that plays, Jerusalem is the city that prays & Haifa is the city that works!

Haifa has job opportunities in the fields of life-sciences, hi-tech, medicine, academia, industry etc. MATAM (Israel’s Silicone Valley), is a hi-tech industrial park to the south of the city. There are around 10,000 workers in MATAM. Companies like IBM, Philips, Elbit, Intel, Microsoft, Google, Zoran and Amdocs are all represented there.

Raanana, a satellite town of Tel Aviv  is also close to Herzliyah where there many work opportunities in a variety of fields for English speakers.

In the Negev region the Be’er Sheva Hi-Tech Park (Ramat Hovav) and the Omer Industrial Park, near Carmit provide around 600 jobs.  There are many entrepreneurial opportunities in the area as well.

The Gush Etzion Development Company established an Industrial Park that is meant to provide 1,000 jobs to local residents. Sussya, in the hills of Hebron  is known for its farming industries owned and operated by its citizens and Modiin’s industrial park was planned to provide employment for 35,000 people in the fields of office industry, hi-tech, manufacturing, retail and education.

In Academia

There are many job opportunities for English speakers at Israel’s various academic institutions of higher learning, these are just a few:

In the Field of Medicine

Israel’s hospitals offer employment to tens of thousands of people and numerous jobs for English speakers in patient care, research and fundraising.  You might want to try applying for a position at some of Israel’s major hospitals.

Large Industry

You may also want to investigate the large industrial corporations, some of them are:

Accessibility to Employment

There are buses and trains to and from all destinations in Israel and Israel’s workforce are now commuting between cities.  Many organizations and public institutions have their own transport arrangements (Heb: Hasa’a) that will transport you from a designated location (it could even be right outside your home) to your place of employment. Israel labor laws require the employer to pay for their employees transport costs as regulated unless however, the organization provides their own transport.  This is a huge saving for you!

The Center for Employment Counseling

The Center for Employment Counseling has unfortunately closed down and now all employment services are now provided by Misrad Haklita – The Ministry of Aliyah & Integration

The Aliyah Job Center

The criteria for being able to the services offered by the Aliyah Job Center are:

• You have an open Aliyah File with your local Shaliach (emissary) or Global Center (“Tik Aliyah”)
• You have never made Aliyah before or previously held Israeli Citizenship
• Entitlement to make Aliyah under the “Law of return” (“Zakaut”)
• Aged between 21 – 60
• You have an known Aliyah date within the next 6 months
• You have made Aliyah within the last 12 months

A “Katin Hozer” someone born in Israel who left before the age of 14 or an “Ezrach Oleh” someone born abroad to at least one Israeli parent may also qualify for assistance from the Job Center.

The Jewish Agency for Israel – Aliyah Job Center is a limited program and the full range of  services does not extend to “all immigrants” or returning residents (“Toshavim Hozrim”).

Job Hunting & Networking in Israel

Networking is an excellent way to update yourself on local opportunities and share your experiences.

Make sure you regularly check  with your Aliyah Organization or Jewish Federation for any jobs that might have become available.

The international organization, BNI – Business Networking International has an English speakers branch in Herzliyah.  They hold weekly meetings for group members and guests.  BNI give you an opportunity to give a two minute introductory presentation.  There is an annual fee for members and guests pay a nominal rate for a one-time visit.