Israel’s Average Monthly Salary Edges Up to $2,382

Israel’s average pretax monthly salary was 9,489 shekels ($2,382) in September, up a shade from 9,467 shekels in August but below the 9,622 shekels in July.

There were more than 3.23 million salaried employees as of September.

According to figures published Sunday by the Central Bureau of Statistics, between July and September the number of salaried jobs increased at a 0.5% annualized rate, following a 0.7% increase for the previous three months. The annualized rate indicates the increase if the pace were maintained for a year.

The sectors that added the most jobs in the third quarter were financial services and insurance. They added jobs at a 1.9% annualized rate, similar to the growth in the previous three months.

The construction sector lost the most jobs between July and September, shrinking at an annualized rate of 3.6%, following a 1.7% contraction the previous quarter.

The information and communication sector witnessed the biggest salary increase, by an annualized 6.1%, topping a 3% increase the previous quarter.

Salaries decreased most in the arts and entertainment industry, by an annualized 2.2%, following a 2.5% decrease the previous quarter.

The highest wages by salaried employees were in the mining and excavation sector — an average of 20,862 shekels ($5,268) a month. These workers outearned colleagues at government-owned monopolies Israel Electric Corporation and water utility Mekorot, who came in at 18,912 shekels in September. The IEC and Mekorot have traditionally been in the top spot.

Next came workers in information and communications, who averaged 17,678 shekels a month, while financial services and insurance workers came in at 15,817 shekels.

The average monthly salary in education was 7,480 shekels, while in agriculture it was 6,640 shekels. The lowest average monthly salary was in hospitality and food services at 4,235 shekels, below the 4,300-shekel minimum wage.