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Representatives from various levels of the logistics and delivery industry claim that Israel has a severe shortage of truck drivers, while the Transportation and Labor Ministries claim otherwise.<\/p>\n
The Knesset Special Committee on Foreign Workers<\/a> met on Monday to discuss the allocation of foreign workers as truck drivers, amid an ongoing dispute between government ministries and economic bodies over whether Israel is facing a shortage in the sector.<\/p>\n Representatives of the Labor<\/a> and Social Affairs Ministry, the Employment Service, the Manufacturers Association, Israel Ports, and the Truckers Council told the committee that there is a severe shortage of thousands of drivers. Representatives from the Transportation and Labor Ministries insisted that no such shortage exists.<\/p>\n Committee chair MK Ety Hava Atia (Likud) said that a dispute between the Health Ministry and the Transportation Ministry is preventing some 23,000 locals from obtaining heavy vehicle driver\u2019s licenses due to prolonged waits for examinations at the Medical Institute for Road Safety, harming the economy in the process. She said new applicants have been struggling ever since the Transportation Ministry ended its contract with medical management company Femi Premium. Since then, the transfer of responsibility has been delayed due to disagreements over staffing positions and budget allocations.<\/p>\n During the committee hearing, it was also stated that the Truckers Council is seeking approval to bring in 3,000 foreign workers. Lawmakers referred to a previous discussion on the Tel Aviv metro project<\/a>, where it was estimated that approximately 2,500 trucks per day would be needed to deliver supplies. Concerns were raised that it may not be possible to recruit the required number of drivers.<\/p>\n Yaniv Peretz of the Employment Service confirmed that demand for truck drivers stands at about 2,500 per year, while the unemployment rate is 2.9%. He suggested requiring the employment of Israelis alongside foreign workers. MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) agreed, saying that a balance must be struck between foreign and Israeli workers.<\/p>\nForeign workers and the Tel Aviv metro<\/h3>\n