Task Force Summary: Master Plan for the Promotion of Employment in Arab Society | Israel Democracy Institute and Portland Trust

The following summary outlines the main points of a master plan for the promotion of employment in Arab society. The plan was developed in 2019 by Dr. Nasreen Hadad Haj-Yahya of the Israel Democracy Institute and Portland Trust partner, economist Nitza Kasir, and Ayman Saif, partner at the Portland Trust, in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labor and the National Council of Arab Mayors. The plan approaches employment as a comprehensive issue beyond the qualities and experiences of any individual job candidate, and thus makes recommendations in five major areas that inform the Arab employment in Israel: education, welfare, vocational training, job creation, and tourism.

The full 700-page master plan is robust, detailed, and based on extensive qualitative and quantitative research in all five focus areas. The summary below aims to facilitate a broad understanding of the scope of the plan and the conclusions of its research via bottom-line goals and major recommendations. For the sake of efficiency, detailed data and discussion about existing gaps and recent trends supporting a comprehensive list of recommendations are not included. For greater detail, a 100-page summary of the proposal can be accessed in Hebrew.

Please note that many of the recommendations refer to specific national and civil society programs in the field by name. While it is beyond the scope of this summary to integrate descriptions and provide context per program, where possible, links to the program description or website are included.