15 January 2018, Israel - In a report to the Department of Labor and Employment, the Philippine Embassy in Israel noted that for 2017, the deployment of Filipino caregivers in Israel increased by 2.53% compared to the 2016 figure.

According to the report, deployment from January to December 2017 reached 2,922 compared to 2,850 from January to December 2016.

Labor Attaché to Israel Rudy Gabasan noted that although there was an increase in deployment for 2017, this is just minimal compared to the increase in 2016 (24.6%). The high placement fees coming to Israel is a significant factor in this minimal increase in deployment.

Although the minimum wage in Israel is bigger than the rest of other Middle East countries in the Household Service Workers category, caregivers coming to Israel still pay for exorbitant placement fees which is illegal in the Philippines and in Israel.

To address the problem, the Philippine and Israeli governments are negotiating a bilateral labor agreement. The Philippine Embassy expects the deployment of Filipino caregivers in Israel to increase further once a bilateral labor agreement is finalized between the two countries.

DEPLOYMENT FIGURES

2016 & 2017