This is the first significant rise since the crisis broke out in October 2000. “The figures point to initial signs of recovery.”
Demand for high-tech workers was 9.4% higher in January 2002 than in December 2001, according to the seasonally adjusted findings of a wanted-ad survey by MIT of the Manpower Israel group.
The survey is based on wanted ads in major Israeli newspapers. MIT CEO Idit Padan said that was the first significant increase in the number of wanted ads published by the computer and communications industries since October 2000.
The increase in demand is particularly noticeable in two groups of professions: “other workers” (ads for recruiting workers through manpower agencies) – a 22% rise, and programmers – a 11% rise. The pace in which wanted ads for other groups of workers declined in previous months slowed down, with a slight increase in the number of wanted ads for some groups.
Padan said that the figures showed that demand for high-tech workers was stabilizing, and perhaps even indicated the beginning of growth and recovery.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 17 February, 2002