Foreign-Controlled Firms Drive Israeli Goods Exports to 143.7 Billion NIS in 2025
Foreign-controlled Israeli companies drove goods exports to 143.7 billion NIS in 2025, a 31% surge, while total employment in these multinationals dropped by 5% over three years.
Foreign-controlled Israeli companies reached 143.7 billion NIS in goods exports in 2025, accounting for 54.2% of the country's total goods exports, according to data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). This represents a 31% increase compared to 2024, when exports by these companies totaled 109.5 billion NIS. CBS emphasizes that this figure represents a lower bound, as the measurement excludes services, which constitute the core strength of Israeli exports.
Diverging Trends in Exports and Employment
The CBS analysis, mapping foreign multinational activity in Israel (IN companies) between 2022 and 2025, highlights two opposing trends: while the export share of foreign-controlled companies continues to grow, their workforce is shrinking. According to the CBS, export estimates include balance of payments adjustments, such as manufacturing performed by overseas subcontractors for Israeli IN companies. These goods do not cross state borders but are officially recorded as Israeli exports.
The number of salaried positions in foreign-controlled companies stood at 288,000 in 2025, compared to 294,000 in 2024 and 303,000 in 2022. This marks a cumulative drop of about 15,000 positions, or roughly 5%, over three years. Nearly half of these positions (48.4%) are concentrated in the high-tech sector, which experienced an even sharper decline, falling to 139,000 positions in 2025 from 144,000 in 2024. Overall, 61.4% of IN company jobs are in the services sector, and 27.2% are in manufacturing, mining, and quarrying.
Compensation and High-Tech Salaries
Total compensation for employees in foreign-controlled companies reached 102.1 billion NIS in 2025, with 67.9 billion NIS (66.5%) generated within the high-tech sector. Total wages remained virtually unchanged compared to 2024, showing a nominal increase of 1.4% across all companies and just 0.9% in high-tech. The average annual compensation per employee reached 354,400 NIS, soaring to 486,800 NIS in the high-tech sector.
"The highest average compensation was recorded in the information and communications sector, as well as the professional, scientific, and technical services sector, where remuneration stood at just over half a million NIS per position." — Central Bureau of Statistics
In manufacturing, average compensation stood at 338,400 NIS per position, while commerce registered 269,200 NIS. An analysis of company size reveals a surprising dynamic: smaller firms with up to 99 employees offer an average compensation of approximately 406,000 NIS per position, whereas large corporations with 1,000 or more employees average only 316,000 NIS, falling below the overall average for foreign-controlled enterprises.
