Who earns NIS 100,000 a month? The truth behind doctors' payslips

The Finance Ministry has published its report on public healthcare system wages in Israel, presenting a unified picture of system-wide salaries by profession, rank, geographical region, specialization, and career stage. The public healthcare system employs approximately 134,000 workers, with the report analyzing wage wage data for more than 120,000 employees in hospitals and community health funds.

The data show that in hospitals, the average salary per position stands at NIS 22,560, with a median salary of NIS 18,804. Approximately 71% of employees earn an average of more than NIS 15,000 per month. In community health funds, the average salary per position is NIS 23,326, with a median salary of NIS 16,971, while 62% of employees earn more than NIS 15,000 per month. The wages of tenured hospital employees have risen by an average of 42% over the past decade, with certain wage scales seeing increases of up to 60%. In the nursing sector, the entry-level salary for a nurse stands at approximately NIS 19,700.

Regarding physicians, the report reveals significant gaps based on area of specialization, seniority, and workplace. The average monthly salary for physicians in the top decile in hospitals stands at approximately NIS 104,700, compared to approximately NIS 17,300 in the bottom decile, representing a sixfold gap. Disparities also exist across specializations: The average salary for gynecologists is NIS 78,603, compared to NIS 42,663 among psychiatrists. The Wage Department clarified that psychiatrists' pay rose significantly under the latest physicians' agreement from September 2024, but these figures will be reflected in the report for 2025–2026.

At the same time, the salary of specialist physicians in the periphery is approximately 33% higher than that of specialists in central Israel, a figure tied in part to the higher volume of on-call duty performed by doctors in the periphery. In addition, the number of shifts performed by medical residents is on a downward trend, with a resident performing an average of five shifts per month in 2025. However, gaps remain among specializations: A general surgery resident performed an average of 5.4 shifts per month, compared to 2.2 shifts among dermatology residents.

The report also provides data on the age of the medical workforce, showing that 24% of specialist doctors in hospitals are approaching retirement age, with the figure reaching 36% in pediatric surgery. The Finance Ministry noted that these figures highlight the need to manage the specialization map from a national perspective, alongside the continued expansion of medical training and targeted incentives for fields and regions facing shortages.

In the mental health field, the salaries of psychiatric hospital employees are approximately 5% lower than those of general hospital employees. Among doctors, the gap stands at approximately 7% compared to general hospitals and about 14% compared to geriatric hospitals. The Finance Ministry emphasized that strengthening the mental health system is a national necessity, noting that negotiations recently opened for a system-wide wage agreement for mental health hospital employees. Additionally, several agreements signed over the past two years improved wages across various professions, the impact of which is expected to be reflected in wage data for 2025–2026.

Furthermore, the report points to gender pay gaps. Women account for approximately 65% of hospital workers but earn an average of about 19% less than men in full-time positions. In community healthcare, women constitute roughly 76% of workers, and the wage gap reaches about 40%. The main cause of the disparity stems from the volume of additional work hours, with part of it arising from differences in professions and role levels.

Wage and Employment Agreements Commissioner Effie Malkin said: "In recent years, the healthcare system has enjoyed significant investment in employee wages, amounting to approximately NIS 3 billion annually, and the data in the report already reflect part of this change. Alongside this, the report highlights national gaps, challenges, and needs that require us to refine wage policy and direct resources to where they are most needed: In mental health, in the periphery, and in specializations facing shortages. At the same time, we must act to reduce workload and burnout by restructuring and altering the mix of professions in the system, including the integration of additional roles such as pharmacy technicians and physician assistants. In this way, we will achieve efficiency, enable medical teams to focus on the essential professional work for which they were trained, expand service availability, and strengthen the public healthcare system over time."