Arabs in Israel are now more likely than Jews to work in the profession they studied, according to the 2024 Quality of Life Report from the Central Bureau of Statistics, which also highlights persistent structural gaps between the two populations.
According to the education-to-employment match index from that year, some 76.4% of employed Arabs work in the field they studied, compared with 72.5% of Jews.
This is the first time the indicator has favored Arabs. In the health sphere, alongside persistent gaps in male life expectancy and healthy lifestyle indicators, the rate of new cancer diagnoses is lower among Arabs. Their level of trust in the healthcare system is also higher.
In housing, Jews score better on measures of crowding and satisfaction with their area of residence, but the share of disposable income spent on housing is lower among Arabs. In terms of personal well-being, Arabs also express greater optimism in the future.
In their leisure and community lives, they report higher satisfaction with work-life balance, and in information technology, they report a stronger sense of security online.
Jews lead in most quality-of-life indicators
At the same time, the overall picture points to a persistent structural gap. Of the 79 indicators published, with a breakdown by population group, Jews fare better in 55, Arabs in 19, and equality in 5.
The gaps are especially pronounced in material living standards, education, environment, and civic engagement, where Jews fare better in all or most indicators.
In education, for example, the gap in eligibility for a matriculation certificate with five units of mathematics has widened in recent years. In material living standards, Jews score higher across all indicators examined. However, both groups reported increased satisfaction with their economic situation, and the gap has narrowed.