The Committee for Employment Advancement Towards 2030 (AKA Employment 2030 Committee) was founded in August 2017 by the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services, MK Haim Katz, pursuant to Government Resolution no. 2594 of April 6, 2017 (see charter in page 3). The charter determines that the committee, headed by Prof. Zvi Eckstein, shall address "advancing employment and addressing the expected challenges of the next decade, both in regard to integration of diverse population groups into employment, and in terms of realizing the potential human capital of the existing workforce." The role of the committee is to draw policy recommendations and applicable proposals aiming to increase employment volumes among population groups who are currently underrepresented in the labor market, and encourage advancement of these groups; to enhance workers' skills and proficiency levels in order to better meet economic needs; and to strengthen government preparedness for the future labor market. To fulfill this role, the committee was composed of senior representatives from all sectors of the economy, including representatives of the various government offices concerned, employers' representatives, members of labor unions, and representatives from non-governmental organizations who specialize in this area.
From the outset, the committee defined its vision as follows: to nurture growth while reducing poverty through increasing employment; to optimize and enhance the human capital of workers in order to raise labor productivity, support stable economic growth, and optimally address the demographic shifts and the frequent changes in the labor market.
This vision engenders our objective: to provide practical recommendations which would serve the government, and particularly The Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services, to inform policies which aim to attain measurable targets indicating increased employment and enhanced human capital among Israeli workers by 2030. In regard to human capital, the committee focused on vocational and technological training for adults, although there is no denying the importance of under-18 education, in particular the vocational and technological education in this age bracket.
The work of the committee was conducted in plenary meetings chaired by Prof. Zvi Eckstein, as well as in four separate teams: Employment Targets, Productivity, and Structural Changes Team, led by Prof. Zvi Eckstein; Human Capital and Training Infrastructures Team, led by Ms. Dita Bronicki; Preparedness for Changing Labor Market Team, led by Ms. Dalia Narkis and Mr. Haim Russo; and Employment Programs for Target Populations Team, led by Prof. Avi Simhon and Prof. Yossi Tamir. This chapter summarizes the committee's key recommendations, on which there was broad agreement among its members and within the teams.
The measures detailed in this report reflect the recommendations drawn by the committee. Given the costs required to carry out these recommendations, their implementation (in part or in full) would be done according to the government's priorities, ergo according to the budget which the government decides to allocate or divert towards the various recommendations. Due to the importance and complexity of this matter, and in order to meet the long-term targets laid out for the next decade as per this report, it is imperative that the government starts implementing these recommendations in the immediate future.