Emergency plan launched to assist coronavirus-hit Eilat

'Due to the severe impact of the coronavirus crisis on the tourism industry, there is no doubt that the rehabilitation of Eilat will take a long time'

By EYTAN HALON
Teenagers hold onto an inflatable water sport raft in the Red Sea, in Eilat (photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
Teenagers hold onto an inflatable water sport raft in the Red Sea, in Eilat
(photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
An emergency employment plan will be rolled out in tourism-dependent Eilat, the Israeli city hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, the Israeli Employment Service and the Eilat Municipality said Tuesday.
The unemployment rate in the southern port city reached 45.6% at the end of April, compared with a national average of 15.8%. Almost one-quarter (23%) of families reported that both parents were out of work.
According to the plan, the Employment Service and the municipality will invest in additional training and placement services for job-seekers, placing an emphasis on recruitment, assessments and occupational therapy. A dedicated training center will be established with the support of relevant authorities in the city, with an emphasis on skills required for remote work.
In addition, to increase demand for workers, the partners will work to attract businesses to the city and construct necessary infrastructure to lure new industries.
“Eilat is a leading city on the State of Israel’s tourism map and will remain so,” Employment Service CEO Rami Garor said. “Our mission is to pull the city out of the deep mud of the crisis as quickly as possible.”
The organization also was working on dedicated programs for other impacted regions and sectors, he said, adding: “In the immediate term, we must return employees to the workforce, but at the same time enrich the mixture of work in Eilat by creating more jobs that are not just in the hotel and tourism sectors.”
A roundtable forum will be established in the coming weeks to assist the city, including representatives from relevant government ministries, the Prime Minister’s Office, the National Insurance Institute and workers organizations.
“Due to the severe impact of the coronavirus crisis on the tourism industry, there is no doubt that the rehabilitation of Eilat will take a long time, and that the unemployment rate will continue to be high in the coming months,” Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi said. “This is an acute blow to the lives of our residents. We must quickly create employment for the unemployed to help them as much as possible and prevent negative migration.”


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