In his recent interview, Boaz Yosef, Director General of the Population and Immigration Authority, set an ambitious and dramatic target: bringing approximately 330,000 foreign workers to Israel by 2027. This is a brave and much-needed declaration of intent. The decision to freeze the entry of Palestinian laborers is a significant and essential reality, crucial both for the security of the State of Israel and the ultimate success of the Israeli economy.
This is particularly true for the construction, agriculture, and infrastructure sectors, which are desperate for hands on deck. Expanding the employment of foreign workers will prevent a total economic collapse and a wild surge in housing prices. Therefore, the Authority's objective is not only correct and vital - it is critical to our national resilience.
However, for this national vision to materialize, and for these 330,000 workers to transform from a figure on paper into a real engine of growth on the ground, the State of Israel must recalibrate its course regarding implementation. We can no longer rely solely on bilateral (government-to-government) agreements, which are notoriously slow, convoluted, and complex. The time has come to elevate the professional private sector from a secondary player to a full strategic partner of the government.
Workers are leaving for the black market
As an attorney who closely accompanies the legal and bureaucratic procedures of the immigration sector, and as someone who manages a company connecting Israeli employers with foreign workers, I live and breathe the reality on the ground every single day.
Contractors and corporations in Israel are highly motivated to absorb foreign workers and are fully prepared to pay the required government fees. At the same time, they rightfully expect a professional return that addresses their urgent operational challenges. When thousands of workers are brought in through government channels without rigorous professional screening in their countries of origin, we face severe quality issues, such as laborers who have never set foot on a construction site - alongside the alarming phenomenon of "runaways" who desert their designated sectors for the unregulated black market. The result is immense frustration for employers, who pay top dollar only to receive instability in return.
For the Population Authority's plan to succeed, and it absolutely must succeed, the state must adopt an integrated, multi-stage model.
The first step is conducting strict professional screenings in the countries of origin. We must shift from "merely filling quotas" to employing true professionals. International recruitment agencies, operating under tight regulation and strict legal oversight, can achieve what the government is simply not built to do: establish evaluation centers in countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, test workers' technical skills in the field, and ensure that every single worker boarding a plane precisely matches the needs of the Israeli contractor.
An equally critical next step is strengthening governance and legal enforcement. Alongside bringing in the workforce, Israel must create legal mechanisms that protect employers from worker desertion. This must include incentives for persistent workers, coupled with uncompromising enforcement against illegal employers in the black market. Otherwise, all investments - by both the state and the employers - will go to waste.
Restart the labor market
The target of 330,000 foreign workers presents a historic opportunity to hit the "reset" button on Israel's labor market, accelerate the pace of construction, and stabilize the economy. The professional private sector is not here to criticize, but to provide the legal and operational infrastructure necessary to turn this vision into a reality on the ground.
Mr. Boaz Yosef, your goal is our shared goal. Now, let us join forces to do it right- with the efficiency, professionalism, and speed that the Israeli economy so urgently requires.
Adv. Shir Sela The author is the CEO of Global Bridge, an immigration law expert, and a professional legal advisor to major corporations in the Israeli market.
