Main Points:
- Maximizing the potential human capital of population groups that are under-represented in the high-tech sector, and specifically the Arab and Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) communities, can play an important role in the continued growth of this sector and of the economy as a whole.
- Over the past decade, the share of Arab graduates in high-tech disciplines has risen considerably, but this has not translated into a corresponding increase in their share of employment in the sector. This points to an entry barrier to high-tech employment, alongside educational barriers.
- The share of Haredi women employed in the high-tech sector has risen over the past decade and is now approaching their share of the population. Most of these women received their qualifications in alternative training programs in Haredi colleges supervised by the Government Institute for Technological and Scientific Training (MAHAT). However, their wages are lower than those of other technology sector employees.
- In the past decade, young Haredi men have accounted for an extremely low proportion of all employees in the high-tech sector, despite the opening of dedicated tracks in pre-academic preparatory colleges and designated campuses. The principal barrier appears to be in earlier education stages, which fail to provide a sufficient background in core curriculum subjects. The dedicated training programs have not, to date, led to increased integration into the sector.