The wage increase for graduates of the "Lamerchak" programme rose from 10% to 47% — the employment chapter of the government report, in numbers

The right measure

Most reporting on employment programmes counts participants. That is an easy measure to take and an easy one to inflate. This report also measures something else, and that is the interesting part of it:

> "With respect to the wage increase for participants in the 'Lamerchak' programme, a dramatic rise in the measure can be seen — from only 10% wage growth for programme graduates in 2020, to 47% on average in 2024."

Source: Summary report of the government programme for the integration of Ethiopian-Israelis 2023-2024, Prime Minister's Office, January 2026 (PDF) · verified September 2026.

This is the measure that speaks directly to the 43.6% wage gap documented by the Knesset Research Center. A programme that puts people into work without moving the wage does not solve the problem the data describes. A programme that raises wages by 47% does.

The five programmes, and their numbers

Per the report, these are the Ministry of Labour's programmes in 2023–2024, with participant numbers and the implementation level as the report classifies it:

"Lamerchak" is the ministry's flagship programme for employment mentoring for Ethiopian-Israelis — accompaniment, counselling and career advancement for young people. The report notes that it "increased its number of participants more than threefold from 2020 to 2024."

Note the right-hand column: even the flagship programme is classified "partially implemented." The report does not present itself as an unqualified success.

Who runs what

The report names the partners:

• Vocational training — through vocational training vouchers.
• Academic counselling and mentoring — through the Olim Beyahad association, "for optimal integration into professions matching candidates' skills."
• Vocational training focused on hi-tech professions — in partnership with the Tech-Career association.
• The practical-engineering track.

Both of these organizations exist and are active. Tech-Career operates out of Lod; its live site is tech-career.org, and it describes itself as a technological training centre for young Ethiopian-Israelis operating since 2002. (A clarification that matters to us: Tech-Career is an independent association, not a programme run by another organization.)

We are not publishing cohort dates here. The training page we checked did not respond, and an opening date we have not seen at the source will not be written here as fact. To check for open cohorts — go directly to the organization's site.

What decision 787 asked of the ministry

Per the report, the decision directed the continued expansion and streamlining of employment programmes, in order to:

• Make available responses for young people that lead to integration into professions with high earning potential, with an emphasis on making technology and hi-tech training accessible;
• Training for professional advancement and upgrading in professions in demand in the economy;
• Personal guidance and building a career path — occupational assessment, individual and group mentoring, connection to employers and placement assistance;
• Steering Ethiopian-Israelis toward professions in demand in the economy.

Note the recurring phrasing: not "employment" plainly, but "quality employment, including a horizon for professional advancement." That is precisely what the Knesset's wage data points to as missing.

The context the report gives itself

• The report notes that the Ministry of Labour increased the number of programmes from 4 to 5, with an emphasis on training.
• It also notes that an across-the-board 8% cut to the budget of government decisions in 2024 forced revisions and re-prioritization across the whole programme.
• The basis: government decision 787 (17.7.2023) and continuation decision 3243 (15.7.2025).

What this means for someone looking for work

Three practical points:

1. These tracks exist and are operating through the Ministry of Labour and through associations named in a government report — not through "programmes" nobody has heard of.
2. Vocational training vouchers are a separate and broader track than the dedicated programmes, and are open through the Ministry of Labour.
3. The wage increase is the question worth asking of any programme before signing up: not how many graduates there were, but how much their wages rose.

For programmes, tracks and employment information — the Tedros careers centre.

Sources

• The government programme for the integration of Ethiopian-Israelis — activity summary report 2023-2024, Prime Minister's Office, January 2026 (PDF) — read 8.9.2026
• Tech-Career — the association's site — checked 8.9.2026
• The wage gap in the Knesset document — our article
• The education chapter of the same report — our article
• Careers centre — Tedros