Jerusalem, Israel - Charedim Employment Grows By 40 Percent

Jerusalem, Israel - The number of ultra-Orthodox workers in industry sector rises dramatically in the last few years; most of the charedim are employed in hi-tech

The number of ultra-Orthodox employed in the industry sector in Jerusalem has grown by 40 percent in the last two years. Some 2,200 charedi men and women are currently employed in 300 factories across the capital, a figure representing a 500 percent rise over the last six years.

And an inspection conducted in Jerusalem revealed that Orthodox are mainly employed as computer programmers at hi-tech factories, and that at most plants they comprise 2-10 percent of the workforce.

At 240 of the factories, charedim make up between 10-50 percent of the workers, while 250 factories do not employ Orthodox at all.

The inspection further showed that some factories had to make special preparations prior to hiring charedi workers, with regards to the dining arrangements and allocating a place for holding prayers. Several companies in Jerusalem specialize in training charedim for work in town, especially in technological fields.