Gov't to encourage high-tech engineers to immigrate

Benjamin Netanyahu  photo: Reuters
Benjamin Netanyahu photo: Reuters

Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the setting up of an inter-ministerial team that will examine a benefit track for Jewish software engineers working in Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the establishment of an inter-ministerial team that will deal with encouraging Jewish engineers and software developers to work in Israel. During this morning's cabinet meeting, Netanyahu announced this initiative, aimed at tackling the shortage of engineers and developers in Israel's high tech.

The team will be responsible for examining the possibility of offering Jewish engineers with a unique benefit track, based on their eligibility for the Law of Return. The effort will be coordinated by the Prime Minister's Office Director General Eli Gruner.

According to the Israel Innovation Authority report submitted to the prime minister last June, in the next decade Israel will suffer from a shortage of about 10,000 engineers and programmers.

The report warned that "Israel is weakening as an international innovation leader" - due to the decline in the number of computer science, mathematics, and statistics graduates, from 3,000 in 2004 to 2,250 in 2014. In 2015, Israel also lost the first place in investment in R&D as a proportion of GNP, in favor of South Korea.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 11, 2016

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2016

Benjamin Netanyahu  photo: Reuters
Benjamin Netanyahu photo: Reuters
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