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Study: Israeli Employers Prefer Not To Hire Arabs

By Dana Weiler-Polak, Haaretz Correspondent
Last update - 13:28 09/11/2009
Courtesy Of Haaretz NewsPaper

Israeli employers prefer not to hire Arabs, Ethiopians and Haredis - even those holding at least an undergraduate degree, according to a study published on Monday.

More than 83 percent of employers are repelled by the idea of hiring an Arab without a university degree, found the study conducted by the Kiryat Ono Academy.

Some 58 percent of managers prefer not to hire Haredic academics, and 53 percent of them would rather not hire Ethiopians, the report said.

The report elaborated that even if someone from the minority group actually gets hired, their chances of receiving a promotion are slim, despite qualifications and success rates.

Some 86 percent of the research participants said that they would rather not promote Haredic employees, 79 percent said that about Arabs, and 70 percent of them would rather not promote an Ethiopian worker.

Media and publicity are the most discriminating fields of work, according to the study, while legal offices and accountancy firms show an increasing tendency over the past few years to incorporate workers from minority ethnic groups.

Arabs and Ethiopians are hardly ever hired for positions in the stock exchange, the report claims, while Haredic employees that are accepted into the filed are discriminated against.

The study was based on research gathered from managers, employers and students on the selective career track. This includes banking, the stock exchange, publicity, law firms, accountancy, and the media.

Dr. Erez Yaacobi, Dr. Amir Paz-Fooks, and researcher Moshe Karif questioned more than 568 students and dozens of managers in the various fields.