Government Ministry Employees’ Average Salary 50% Higher Than Private Sector

By Aryeh Stern

According to the latest report from the commissioner of wages in the Ministry of Finance, full-time employees of government ministries saw their average monthly salary reach NIS 18,029 in 2022, marking a 3.8% increase over the year. This average is nearly 50% higher than the general economy’s average monthly salary of NIS 12,120 in 2022. Despite a freeze on public sector pay in 2022, the average increased marginally due to linkage to the Consumer Price Index. A 2023 framework agreement with the Histadrut is expected to widen the gap between public and private sector salaries in future reports.

Within the public service, significant pay disparities exist, even among individuals in similar roles, owing to long-service supplements and other benefits. Those graded equivalent to judges, including senior officials like the governor of the Bank of Israel, have varying average monthly salaries, ranging from NIS 44,726 for the lowest 10% to NIS 77,258 for the highest 10%.

Directors general of government ministries, employed on personal contracts, fall into the second grade, with average pay ranging from NIS 40,833 for the lowest 10% to NIS 53,512 for the highest 10%. Employees in ministerial bureaus and directors general earn monthly salaries between NIS 13,023 and NIS 34,187.

The report sheds light on challenges in recruiting individuals for high-demand professions within the public sector, such as engineers and technological staff. Entry-level engineers earn NIS 8,763 monthly, while veteran senior engineers can earn up to NIS 28,059. The lowest-paid government employees are court stenographers, with the lowest 10% averaging NIS 6,821 monthly and the highest 10% averaging NIS 13,913.

A separate report on teachers’ salaries revealed that approximately 139,000 teachers and education workers in Israel earned an average of NIS 12,629 monthly (or NIS 14,298 for those in full-time positions) in 2022, totaling NIS 28 billion in state expenses.