The Jerusalem Kivun Center, an employment center opened in March as part of an Economy Ministry initiative, has announced its 500th job placement indicating success in bringing hareidim into the work force.
The Economy Ministry initiatives aims to increase employment among hareidi men from 45% in 2012 to 63% in 2012, with a budget of 500 million shekels ($125 million) allocated for that goal.
Including the Jerusalem center which runs on an annual 16 million shekel budget, the Kivun Center has nine hareidi employment branches nation-wide, although the Jerusalem branch is the largest. Four additional centers are to open in 2015.
Since starting on March 1, the Jerusalem Center gave workshops to over 600 people, and gave individual vocational assessments and guidance to over 400 people.
“Our center is unique in that it offers the entire gamut of employment services under one roof, giving tailored guidance and tools to participants, while being sensitive to their lifestyle,” said Yehiel Amoyal, director of the Jerusalem Kivun Center.
That positive assessment was supported by Michael Tzuk, Deputy Director-General for employment at the Economy Ministry.
“We have a window of opportunity to advance the integration of the hareidi sector into the job market. We are making available a wide range of tools for individuals and employers with the aim of developing best practices and cooperation between all the interested parties in order to achieve the necessary goals,” said Tzuk.
Speaking about the importance of the center’s work in the capital to enlist the hareidi population from its emphasis on religious studies into the job market and developing the economy, Jerusalem Municipal Employment Authority director Haim Amar noted the capital “has the highest concentration of hareidi population of any city in the country.”
“The municipality has long aspired to advance a program that integrates them into the working world – of their own volition and without compromising their lifestyle. Ever since the Ministry of Economy presented this task to us, we have been making every effort to meet the goals of this national imperative,” said Amar.
