Today, the Blue and White Division that operates at the Ministry of Economy, and that belongs jointly to the Manufacturers Association of Israel and the New Histadrut, published data on the occasion of Israel’s 67th Independence Day.
- The number of direct workers in Israeli industry has grown from 65,000 in 1948, to almost 400,000 direct workers (an increase of about 5.5).
- The number of production plants has jumped similarly since the State’s establishment (by around 5.5) from around 2,300 factories in 1948 to 124,000 today.
- During this period exports from industry (excluding diamonds) have risen at a dizzying speed: from industrial exports (excluding diamonds) of around $5 million in 1948, to around $47 billion over the past year, accounting for around 40% of industrial sales.
- 1,024 Israeli manufacturers mark their products with a “Made in Israel” mark (compared to 760 in 2013). Of these, 706 businesses appear in an online catalogue (compared to 500 in 2013). 75% of the public are familiar with the mark (according to a recent survey).
Head of the Blue and White Division, Economy Ministry Deputy Director General, Inon Elroy, noted that “the blue and white industry is one of the State of Israel’s strategic assets, and is represented in almost every industry. Israeli industry has become a world leader thanks to its creativity, enterprise, innovation, and advanced technology. We are focusing our activities on finding the middle path between the efforts to reduce the cost of living, and maintaining competition and the uniqueness of Israeli industry. During the coming year, too, we will continue reminding the Israeli public that choosing an Israeli product helps and encourages Israeli industry and increases the employment opportunities it provides.”
Chairman of the “Made in Israel” division at the Manufacturers Association of Israel, Dr. Ron Tomer, notes that “the State of Israel’s resilience is almost as dependent on its economy as on its security. A healthy economy will allow appropriate employment and fair wages to the country’s citizens, as well as availability of products suitable for the Israeli consumer, together with high quality and competitive prices. Israeli industry, which is the largest employer in the periphery and proudly exports flagship products to the entire world, is the means for achieving these targets. Strengthening industry by choosing to purchase Israeli products will make it stronger, together with all the country’s citizens, and lead to an improvement in the economic situation and prosperity. We would ask everyone to bear this in mind as one of their considerations when buying something, be it big or small.”
Director of the Histadrut’s Trade Union Division and Chairman of the Blue and White Division, Einav Kabala, said that, “prioritizing Israeli produce preserves- and even increases – the number of employment opportunities. On Israel’s 67th Independence Day we need to continue encouraging the purchase of Israeli goods, while encouraging local industry and its employees, and increasing the State’s economic and social resilience. The Histadrut views the preservation and encouragement of Israeli industry in general as being of great importance, with even more significance in the periphery, and we will continue working to strengthen local industry and its workers and reduce unemployment, while creating new openings in the workforce.
The Ministry of Economy, the Manufacturers Association of Israel, and the Histadrut estimate that for every worker in industry, two to seven new jobs are created in other branches of the economy – with an emphasis on the services sector that surrounds industry. These services provide industry with transportation, insurance, catering, financial services, and more.