The occupational mismatch amongst Palestinians and Jews in Israel: A new evidence from the LFS 2000-2010

This article compares the occupational attainment of qualified Palestinians and Jews in Israel using data obtained from the Labor Force Survey for the years 2000-2010. Our findings show that Sephardi Jews are as likely as most Palestinians to be disadvantaged in their chances of obtaining jobs in certain occupational categories. Some qualified Palestinians tend to seek professions that facilitate self-employment within the ethnic enclave as a way to escape unfair practices on the part of Jewish employers such as attorneys and accounting. In relation to jobs that are scarce within the ethnic enclave such as in natural and life sciences and university lecturers, Palestinians tend to seek jobs within the Jewish controlled labor market where they face a harsher penalty.