About half of people with disabilities in Israel are unemployed, CBS report shows

Twenty-four percent of employed people with disabilities between ages of 25 to 54, earn up to NIS 4,000 a month.

By DANIELLE ZIRI
A wheelchair at Tel Aviv's Yarkon River 370 (photo credit: NIR ELIAS / Reuters)
A wheelchair at Tel Aviv's Yarkon River 370
(photo credit: NIR ELIAS / Reuters)
About half of people with disabilities aged 25 to 54 in Israel remain unemployed, compared to only 19% of the same demographic in the rest of the population, a Central Bureau of Statistics report revealed on Sunday, ahead of International Day for the Rights of People with Disabilities, which will be marked later this week.
In addition, more than a third of people with severe disabilities, who constitute about 15 % of the general Israeli population, are unemployed. Among them, some 43 % are aged 65 and over.
In terms of income, 24% of the employed people with disabilities between the ages of 25 to 54, earn up to NIS 4,000 a month.
About 58% of employed people with severe disabilities in the same age group reported that they are not satisfied with their income, compared to 39% in the general population.
Moreover, the CBS data revealed that about 23% of them are afraid of losing their jobs and some believe that there is no chance they will find another one.
The report also showed that  22 % of those aged 20 and over in Israel suffer from chronic health problems that interfere with their daily functioning and 18% have trouble with walking or climbing up stairs.
Among those with mobility issues, 9% experience extreme difficulty in walking or climbing stairs, and 51% are aged 65 or older.
Moreover, 8% of those aged 20 and older in Israel have difficulties bathing or dressing themselves.
The data also showed that some 28% of people in the same demographic find it difficult to concentrate and remember things on a daily basis. According to the report, this rate increases with age as 49 % of those aged 65 and older in Israel experience similar difficulties.
In terms of difficulties with vision, the CBS figures showed that 16% of Israelis aged over 20 years old experience some degree of vision impairment.In addition, some 14% of Israelis of the same age have difficulty hearing. Among those aged 65 and over, the percentage goes up to 41%.
The CBS report also examined the issue of loneliness, one of the main strains on people with disabilities. Among those with disabilities aged between 20 and 64, 23% often feel lonely,  and 18 % feel that they have no one to turn to in times of distress or crisis.
Furthermore, 11 % of people with severe disabilities are not satisfied with their relationship with their family and 17 % have no friends.
Among those with disabilities aged 65 and older, 28 % often feel lonely, 21 % feel that they have no one to turn to; 29 % have no friends; and 8 % are not satisfied with their relationship with their family.
In general, the survey showed that people with severe disabilities are less satisfied with their lives and are less optimistic about the future than others.