A jobs crisis in India is driving workers to Israel

Ranjeet Kumar – a university educated, qualified teacher who has only ever managed to find work casually as a painter, steel fixer, labourer, automobile workshop technician, and a surveyor for a non-profit – it is a chance too good to pass up.

The 31-year-old has never managed to earn more than 700 rupees per day, despite having two degrees and having cleared a government “trade test” to work as a “diesel mechanic”. In contrast, the jobs in Israel are paying around 137,000 rupees ($1,648; £1,296) a month, along with accommodation and medical benefits.

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Mr Kumar, who got a passport last year, is eager to secure a job as a steel fixer in Israel to support his seven-member family.

“There are no secure jobs here. Prices are going up. I am not financially stable even after graduating nine years ago,” he said.

According to reports quoting officials, Israel plans to bring in 70,000 workers from China and India and other countries to boost its construction sector, which has been struggling since the 7 October Hamas attack. A labour shortage had arisen after Israel barred some 80,000 Palestinian workers following the attack, reports add.

Some 10,000 workers from India will reportedly be hired. Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are accepting job applications, with the Maharshi Dayanand University in Haryana’s Rohtak city hosting tests for a few thousand applicants from across the country. (The Israeli embassy in Delhi refused to comment on the subject.) Like Mr Kumar, the job seekers in the queue are part of India’s sprawling and precarious informal economy, working without formal contracts and benefits. Like Mr Kumar, many hold college degrees but are struggling to land secure jobs, and find themselves in casual construction jobs, earning up to 700 rupees a day for about 15-20 days a month. They carried their resumes – “I am a good team player with my team,” said one.

Sanjay Verma, who also graduated in 2014, obtained a technical education diploma, and spent six years attempting over a dozen government exams for positions in the police, paramilitary and railways. (“There are very few jobs, and the demand is 20 times their number,” he said). In 2017, he failed to pay up 140,000 rupees to an agent for a promised 900 euro-per-month farm job in Italy.

There are others like Ram Avatar, a 40-year-old tile setter from Haryana with two decades of experience. Faced with the challenges of a rising cost of living and stagnant wages, he worries about funding the higher education of his children – his daughter is pursuing a bachelor’s in science, while his son aspires to become a chartered accountant. He tried for jobs in Dubai, Italy, and Canada but couldn’t afford the exorbitant fees demanded by agents. With expenses for rent, his children’s coaching, and food, he says he’s struggling.

“We know there’s a war going on in Israel. I am not afraid of death. We can die here too,” he said.

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