1,500 employees were laid off in the third quarter of 2013, according to the Report on Employment in Industry published today by the research department of the Economics Division of the Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI). According to the report, most of the layoffs were in the food industry, in which 410 workers were fired. Another 230 workers were fired from the medical device industry, and 220 were fired from the textile and apparel industry.

According to MAI data, between July and September of 2013, there was a 0.4% drop in the number of workers in all Israeli industrial sectors. This drop follows a 0.2% rise in the number of workers in industry in the second quarter of 2013, and stagnation in the first quarter.

President of MAI and of the Federation of Israeli Economic Organizations Zvika Oren attributed the wave of layoffs in industry to the sharp drop in Israeli exports. This drop was caused by currency changes and what he called “an erosion of Israeli industry’s ability to compete in global markets.”

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 9, 2013

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