Taub Center for Social Policy Studies | State of the Nation Report 2022

Cover of the Taub Center State of the Nation Report May 2022.

The Taub Center for Social Policy Studies published the State of the Nation Report 2022, which presents new data in the areas of macroeconomics, the labor market, health, social welfare, education, and demography in Israel. The summary below highlights major datapoints related to Arab society and Jewish Arab relations. The full report can be accessed here.

The total population of Israel is projected to reach 9.65 million by the end of the year, with the Jewish population exceeding 7 million, the Arab population a little over 2 million, and the remaining population, comprising neither Jews nor Arabs, totals a little over half a million individuals.

Poverty 

The report reveals persistent disparities in poverty rates among different population groups, with Arab citizens over-represented among families living in poverty relative their share of the total population.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Labor Market 

Between 2020 and 2021, employment rates in most industries experienced a significant decline compared to 2019, largely due to the impact of the pandemic. However, by 2022, employment levels had largely recovered and returned to their pre-pandemic state across various sectors. Notably, certain industries saw substantial job growth compared to 2019. The health, social welfare, and nursing care industry witnessed an increase of 112,000 jobs, while the high-tech sector saw a growth of 60,000 jobs. The construction industry, which was severely affected by the pandemic, also rebounded with an increase of approximately 17,800 jobs, positively impacting employment opportunities, particularly for Arab men.

Teacher Qualifications

The educational qualifications of teachers in the Arab sector have shown improvement with a higher percentage of teachers having a bachelor’s degree compared to the Hebrew sector.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Teacher Wages

There was a significant improvement in the wages of teachers in locations with a low socioeconomic ranking, which can be partially attributed to the large number of Arab or Haredi teachers. In the Arab sector, there was a substantial increase in wages, which can be attributed to both an increase in seniority and education levels. The improvement in wages in the Arab sector was more rapid than in the Hebrew education sector.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Education Budgets 

Despite improvements in academic achievements and increased budget allocation for Arab education, significant disparities persist compared to other sectors. An analysis of the Ministry of Education budget from 2012 to 2020 reveals that Arab and Bedouin education received the largest increase in funding, while Hebrew and Druze sectors saw more moderate increases. It should be noted that the budget increase was not evenly distributed across all sectors of the education system, with certain areas experiencing a higher growth rate. Notably, special education and preschool education stand out as sectors with significant budgetary growth.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

The budgetary changes have not resolved inequality in school funding, particularly in high schools, according to researcher Nachum Blass. The higher budget allocation in the Arab and Druze sectors in primary and high school is mainly due to a larger proportion of students from weaker socioeconomic backgrounds. However, in high school, the budget per student is less influenced by socioeconomic factors. Despite the overall improvements, inequality persists between schools serving different population groups with similar socioeconomic status. This inequality is evident at all education levels and is particularly pronounced in high school, where the budget per Arab student is only 67% of that in the Hebrew education system.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Bagrut and PISA 

The rate of qualifying for a Bagrut certificate among Grade 12 students has increased, particularly in the Druze and Arab sectors. The share of students qualifying for a Bagrut certificate with honors has also increased. the share of honor students increasing among Hebrew speakers but remaining negligible among Arabic speakers.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Demographics

Fertility Rate: The fertility landscape in Israel experienced significant changes in 2021. Jewish women saw an increase in fertility rates, while Arab Christian women witnessed a decline. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) had been steadily decreasing across all regions and subpopulations. After a slight increase during the pandemic, the latest data indicates a return to a downward trajectory, particularly among the Arab population, in the first eight months of 2022.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Marriage and Divorce Trends: Marriage and divorce patterns in Israel have shown signs of change, with a 12.5% decrease in the total marriage rate across all religious subpopulations(Figure 5). For Muslim and Druze women, the highest marriage rates are observed between the ages of 20 and 24. Among Christian women, the marriage rate for this age group declined from 7-8% in 2010/2011, to nearly half that in 2018/2019. However, there was a compensatory increase in marriage rates among Christian women in their late 20s. There is also a rising divorce rate (Figure 6) at younger ages among Muslims, reflecting the increased educational and employment prospects of Arab women compared to their male counterparts.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Graph Courtesy of the Taub Center | State of the Nation Report May 2023.

Mortality Rates

In 2019, Arab men had the lowest life expectancy (78.1 years), while Jewish women had the highest (85.1 years). Jewish men and Arab women had the same life expectancy (81.9 years). In recent years, there was a slight increase in the life expectancy of Arab men compared to 2018, whereas the life expectancy of Arab women showed a decrease.

Infant Mortality Rate

Arab population groups have a higher infant mortality rate (5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births), in the South’s Bedouin population the figure reaches about 9 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to Jews and others (2.3 deaths per 1,000 live births). Geographic districts, such as Tel Aviv and Central districts, have lower rates, while the Southern district, including the Bedouin population, presents with higher rates.

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