Some 8,000 people registered as unemployed during the second week of the war, representing a 39% increase compared with the previous week but a 37% decrease compared with the numbers registered during the first week of the 12-day War back in July 2025, the Employment Service revealed on Sunday.
In total, 7936 people registered for unemployment since the war began, of whom 55% are women. Of this group, 54% are mothers of underage children.
"The Israeli labor market is demonstrating impressive resilience, but our real test is also in maintaining the employment continuity of the public - and especially of women and mothers who bear the double burden," said Inbal Mashash, CEO of Employment Service.
"History shows that encouraging parents to take temporary work leave will mainly affect mothers of dependent children," she added, while the report noted the decision by the Finance Ministry to allow parents with kids under the age of 14 to go on unpaid leave until the education systems are back to normal.
With this in mind, the organization recommended that companies do all in their power to allow for employees -and especially those with young children- to work from home when possible.
"These arrangements can better help preserve the delicate balance between the unique situation and the need to continue to help the Israeli economy function optimally during this period - they ensure that workers remain in the workforce and maintain employment continuity," Mashash added.
Israeli market shows significant improvements in reacting to emergency situations
According to the report, the lower number of people applying for unpaid leave during the first week of the war, compared with other conflicts, is a clear sign that the Israeli employment market is reacting more effectively to emergency situations.
This is even more striking, the Employment Service emphasizes, given that Operations Roarion Lion broke out at the beginning of the month, a period that is usually characterized by a high number of registrations.
A comparison with every month since the beginning of the war with Hamas on October 7, 2023, showed that the recent numbers were relatively low in comparison.