Construction Sector Criticizes Ban on Private Worker Recruitment from India
Foreign labor corporations criticize a ban on private recruitment of construction workers from India and Sri Lanka by January 2027, warning of potential severe labor shortages.
Foreign labor corporations in the construction sector are heavily criticizing the Population and Immigration Authority decision to bar the private recruitment of construction workers from India and Sri Lanka starting January 2027.
According to the Authority, private recruitment will continue from approved countries such as Italy, Brazil, Hungary, Romania, Thailand, and Turkey, subject to established quotas. India and Sri Lanka will remain limited to bilateral agreements.
Labor corporations argue that the decision will severely damage the sector, claiming that a large portion of currently employed construction and renovation workers arrived from India. They assert that the private track successfully absorbed about 95% of workers to the contractors satisfaction.
Conversely, they claim that a high percentage of workers arriving through the bilateral track proved unsuited for professional construction work, with some later migrating to other industries.
Eldad Nitzan, chairman of the foreign labor corporations in the construction sector, stated that roughly 60% of foreign workers in construction and renovations currently originate from India, warning that the policy shift could spark severe labor shortages.
Population Authority: No basis for shortage claims
The Population and Immigration Authority responded that the list update aligns with government resolutions, emphasizing that private recruitment for the construction sector will persist.
According to the Authority, India and Sri Lanka will remain key sources via bilateral agreements, maintaining a robust pool of workers available for deployment to Israel.
Furthermore, the Authority noted that approximately 76,000 new foreign construction workers have arrived since the outbreak of the war, bringing the current total to around 90,000 foreign workers in the sector—triple the pre-war figure.
