The number of job seekers in Israel in September stood at 172.7 thousand - a decrease of 7.21% compared to August.
Employment Service data shows that, seasonally adjusted, this is an even sharper decline of 11.51%, with the number of job seekers reaching only 163.2 thousand.
The main reason for the decline is the return of those laid off during the summer to the labor market.
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This month, the number of income support claimants remained extremely low, at only 37.9 thousand - one of the lowest figures in recent decades.
The decreases were recorded throughout the country, with a national average of 9.3%: the most notable were recorded in Haredi cities, primarily Modi'in Illit with a decrease of -38.2% and Eilat with a decrease of -17.6%.
The report indicates a sharper decline in the number of women seeking work, which fell by 8.31% compared to a decline of 5.71% among men. According to the Employment Service, the reason for this lies in the return of women laid off during the summer to work and the retroactive recognition of entitlement to unpaid leave following the 'Am Kalavi' operation, which particularly affected women and workers in seasonal industries.
In the breakdown by age, a decrease was recorded in all age groups, but mainly among young people up to the age of 34, whose proportion of all job seekers fell to 281%.
In contrast, the 35-54 age group rose to 42.7% and the over-55 age group rose to 29.3%. The Employment Service notes that the decline among young people is mainly due to the return of young workers who were affected by the summer layoffs.
When broken down by population group, there was a particularly significant decrease among the ultra-Orthodox - 20.8% -, which reduced their share of all job seekers to 8.4%. Among Arabs, there was a decrease of 5.9% and among non-ultra-Orthodox Jews, a decrease of 5.6%.
