Arab participation in higher education has risen sharply, while employment in Israeli high-tech remains a smaller share of Arab workers than of Jewish workers. The pathway narrows at each stage: enrollment in higher education, study in technology fields, graduation in those fields, and entry into technology jobs.
More Arab students in Israeli colleges and universities
The Council for Higher Education counted 60,594 Arab students in 2021/22, 18% of all students. That was a 133% increase from 25,951 in 2009/10. Arab students made up 18.7% of bachelor’s students and 17% of master’s students in 2021/22; their 993 doctoral candidates represented 8.5% of doctoral students. The Council’s 2022 higher-education data shows broad growth across degree levels, alongside continued underrepresentation at the doctoral level.
Growth in overall enrollment has not produced the same representation in technology study. The Bank of Israel reported that Arab students were 12% of students in high-tech professions in 2018, up from 8% in 2012. Arab students received 4% of degrees in high-tech professions in 2018. Its analysis of the education-to-employment pipeline identifies the transition into relevant fields and degree completion as key points where representation falls.
Representation in technology employment
The Israel Innovation Authority’s 2024 report counted Arab men as 1.5% and Arab women as 0.5% of Israeli high-tech employees in 2023. The figures describe shares of the sector’s workforce, not the share of each population group employed in high-tech. The Authority’s 2024 high-tech employment report also notes that high-tech employment is concentrated in demanding research and development roles, where entry requirements are high.
Education and job access both shape the transition. The Bank of Israel notes differences in relevant schooling, residence, age, and mastery of Hebrew and English among the factors associated with employment patterns and occupational roles. Mentoring and recruitment connections can help graduates reach employers: a 2023 Tsofen study of Arab high-tech professionals said the organization had placed about 3,500 Arab engineers in technology positions and analyzed survey responses from more than 400 Arab professionals. Among those respondents, 44% were the only Arab employee or one of only a few in their workplace. For Arab professionals’ role in another major employment sector, see Arab professionals in healthcare.