minorities workers israel industry program plan new

Israel launches plan to integrate minorities into hi-tech industryJERUSALEM, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) — Israel has launched a program to encourage theintegration of new workers from the country’s minorities in the hi-techindustry, the country’s Ministry of Economy and Industry said on Monday.The program includes incentives totaling 13 million new shekels (3.96 millionU.S. dollars) for hi-tech employers who will hire students and graduates fromthe Arab, Druze, Bedouin and Circassian populations in the country.Besides hi-tech R&D companies, the plan also includes companies that provideadvanced services in several areas, such as the pharmaceutical industry,electronic components and communications, industrial, medical and scientificequipment, chemicals, machinery and computing.Incentives for employers will be 40 percent of the employee’s cost, under thecondition of hiring at least two minority students or graduates.According to the ministry, integrating workers from the minorities is animportant socio-economic task, while providing a solution to the shortage ofworkers in the Israeli hi-tech industry.The proportion of minorities in Israel, which has a Jewish majority, stands at26.1 percent of the total population. Enditem