In recent decades, active labor market policies in Israel have focused on specific population groups and economic sectors. In many developed countries, active labor market policies also address a geographical segmentation of the labor market. However, this approach has not taken root in Israel, due to both the country’s small size and the high correlation between population groups and the regions in which they are concentrated.
In 2023, JDC-TEVET initiated the promotion of a regional approach to the challenge of inclusive productivity and high-quality employment. As part of this initiative, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute was asked to systematically map all of the current government programs aimed at improving employment and economic development. This document presents the main findings and insights of that analysis.
The mapping included 300 government programs and showed that they reflect a population-oriented policy approach and, to some extent, one that is also oriented towards economic sectors. More than half of the programs are designed to improve the human capital and employment situation of specific population groups and are tailored to their characteristics. However, the vast majority of them are not adapted to the unique assets or challenges of the regions in which these groups reside. Only a fifth of the programs were designed to operate in the geographic periphery and included a model tailored to the region’s characteristics, even though most employment challenges are to be found in the periphery.
Most of the programs (about 70%) are the sole responsibility of one of the government bodies, without any collaboration with other national or local entities. The result is that the professional development, design of the intervention plan, and funding of most programs lack the unique knowledge possessed by local bodies, and those bodies do not themselves take responsibility for the success of the programs operating in their region.
Given the lack of systematic evaluation of most programs designed to improve employment and economic development, the mapping does not indicate whether programs with a regional approach are more successful in achieving their goals than other types of programs. However, an unrealized potential to improve employment and productivity in the Israeli labor market may be embedded in such programs, which are adapted to regional needs and which leverage local assets.
On the completion of the mapping, and within the framework of the RegionUp program developed by JDC-TEVET in collaboration with five ministries and five regional clusters, the mapped government tools were compiled into an online index designed to make them accessible to professionals in the field of employment and productivity.