450,000 Israelis who were on unpaid leave returned to work in the first two weeks of June, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. This figure contradicts data published by the National Insurance Institute and Israel Employment Service, which reported much lower numbers of furloughed employees returning to work.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics unemployment (not including employees on unpaid leave) was 5.2% in June compared with 4.2% in May. However, the dramatic change was in the number of employees on unpaid leave, which fell from 684,200 at the end of May to 213,600 in mid-June, or just 5.5% of the work force. In percentage terms, overall unemployment was halved, falling from 21% at the end of May to 10.7% in mid-June.
These figures contradict those of the National Insurance Institute, which said there were 673,567 unemployed at the end of June, while the Israel Employment Service said there were 861,000 seeking employment in the last week in June including 605,000 on unpaid leave.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 13, 2020
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