On Sunday, the Israeli government made an announcement regarding its plan to address the construction setbacks that occurred on October 7. In response to the attack launched by Hamas on Israel, Palestinian workers were forced to leave their jobs.
To compensate for this loss of workforce, Israel intends to recruit a significant number of foreign workers from India, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan. The government aims to bring in approximately 65,000 individuals from these countries to resume the construction projects that have been stagnant since the unfortunate incident.
Prior to the attack, a considerable number of Palestinian workers, roughly around 72,000, were gainfully employed on various construction sites within the borders of Israel. However, due to the unfortunate incident that occurred, the government was compelled to take the drastic step of terminating their employment and subsequently excluding them from entering Israel. This decision was primarily motivated by concerns regarding the safety and security of the nation.
Despite the fact that there are still around 20,000 foreign workers present in the country, the labor shortage has led to the closure of nearly half of the construction sites in the nation.
According to a spokesperson from the housing ministry, the government is anticipating the arrival of additional batches of foreign workers in the upcoming weeks. This proactive approach is being taken to prevent any potential disruption in the housing supply, which could potentially lead to a surge in real estate prices at a time when interest rates are already declining.