Average salary rises to NIS 14,263, but most employees work in sectors where pay is below average

The average salary in Israel rose in May to NIS 14,263, an increase of 6.6% compared to May last year, and after deducting inflation, the real increase was 4.6%. However, 66.95% of employees work in sectors where salaries are below the average, such as education (NIS 10,091) and health (NIS 9,815), while in high-tech salaries jumped by 13.7% to NIS 35,760, but the number of jobs remained almost unchanged.

The Central Bureau of Statistics published salary data for May 2026, according to which the average salary in the economy rose to NIS 14,263, an increase of 6.6% compared to May last year. After deducting the rise in the consumer price index, the real salary increased by 4.6%. The number of salaried jobs stood at 4.168 million, an increase of 2.5% compared to April and 0.5% compared to May last year. However, the data reveal a significant gap: 66.95% of employees work in sectors where salaries are below the national average. In the education and health sectors, salaries stand at about NIS 10,000, and in the hospitality and food sectors at only NIS 6,652. In contrast, in the high-tech sector, the average salary jumped by 13.7% to NIS 35,760, but the number of jobs in the field remained almost unchanged, standing at 397.1 thousand, which is 9.5% of all jobs. The gaps between sectors highlight the inequality in the Israeli labor market, with the service and education sectors lagging behind while high-tech attracts high salaries. The data are based on employer reports and reflect the state of the labor market in May.