Average gross wage stable at NIS 7,067 in September 2004 

by Eynav Ben Yehuda   
December 5, 2004
The Marker
 
The average gross wage in Israel climbed less than 1% in 
September 2004 to NIS 7,067. In August the average gross 
wage had been NIS 7,023, according to Central Bureau of 
Statistics figures published today. 

That figure applies only to Israelis. If legally employed 
foreign workers and Palestinians are factored in, the average 
gross wage was NIS 6,958 in September. 

The average wage for foreign workers was NIS 3,830 in 
September. 

Trend data applicable to Israeli workers only shows that in 
August and September 2004, the wage climbed 1.2% in annualized 
terms. The highest earners were as usual at the Israel 
Electric Corporation and Mekorot water utility, who grossed 
an average of NIS 16,270, a month compared with NIS 14,628 
in May 2004. 

At the bottom of the ladder are food and leisure industry 
workers who grossed NIS 3,406 in September, compared with 
NIS 3,501 in August. In other words, their salary retreated. 

After the utility folk came banking, insurance and finance 
sector workers, who grossed NIS 12,590 on average, versus 
NIS 12,516 in August. 

Public administration and national and state institutes 
employees averaged NIS 10,395 in September, versus 
NIS 10,457 in August. 

The number of payroll workers in Israel stood roughly 
unchanged at 2.33 million in September, the number of 
foreign workers was 65,200 and the number of workers 
from the West Bank and Gaza totaled just 9,800. 

In July, employers reported that 84,500 employees held 
at least one more job. 

Some 65.8% of the total workforce earns more than the 
average wage. The average wage among that group was 
NIS 9,230 in September, gross. The average wage of the 
remaining 616,600 people was NIS 1,937.