Women power Haredi entry into high-tech as male participation flatlines
Study points to education and labor-market barriers.
The “Haredi High-Tech Report 2026” reveals a dramatic gender gap. While Haredi women are recording a 77% increase and are entering academia in large numbers, the integration of Haredi men into the industry remains limited and has changed little over the past decade. The study was conducted by Dr. Nechumi Yaffe, Moshe Friedman, and doctoral student Chaya Larefled, and maps the deep barriers to entry that prevent Haredi men from integrating into the economy’s growth engine. The researchers warn that addressing this gap is an urgent macroeconomic necessity for maintaining the country’s resilience, especially given that the high-tech industry currently accounts for approximately 19.7% of national GDP. The full report and its conclusions, the result of a joint initiative by the Tatya Foundation, Tel Aviv University, and the Kama-Tech organization, were submitted to President Yitzhak Herzog at a special event marking a decade of the organization’s activity.
“Six percent of the high-tech industry are Haredi women. There is no Haredi household that does not have at least one high-tech employee. This inspires the next generation. Everyone wants it, and the message is spreading. However, the men are still not entering, and the controversies surrounding military conscription have stalled progress. A Haredi man who wants to study a profession is often told to go and enlist. There are Haredi tracks in the army with enormous success, but that is not our focus,” Moshe Friedman, CEO of Kama-Tech, told Calcalist. “Unfortunately, without a draft law, many Haredi men avoid entering professional training. We are part of the revolution that brought women into the industry with meteoric growth. Every year, 11% of new entrants to the industry are now Haredi, mainly women. It’s remarkable. In the past, most were teachers; today, most want to enter high-tech.”
The Haredi high-tech sector is developing almost entirely on the shoulders of women, while the integration of Haredi men remains largely stagnant and extremely limited. The “Haredi High-Tech Report 2026”, the first and most comprehensive study of its kind published Monday, shows that, unlike trends in the general population, the share of Haredi men employed in the industry has barely moved over the years, rising only from about 0.9% to 1.1% over the past decade. This indicates that Haredi high-tech growth is driven almost entirely by women, while men are lagging behind. In contrast, young Haredi women have recorded a dramatic 77% increase in employment in the sector, a rise that is 23% higher than what would be expected from natural demographic growth alone.
The main barriers to entry include the lack of core education and digital literacy at a young age, along with late entry into the labor market due to the “society of learners” model and prolonged study in yeshivas and kollels among men. Added to this are limited professional networks, a shortage of soft skills, and concerns and biases among employers in the industry. The researchers warn that integrating the Haredi sector is no longer merely a social issue or sectoral goal, but an urgent economic necessity for maintaining Israel’s economic strength.
Alongside stagnation among men, the report presents mixed trends and examines the broader situation in the sector. In 2016, the number of Haredi workers in high-tech stood at approximately 8,500, rising to about 12,750 in 2024, roughly 5% of all Haredi employees. Among young adults aged 25-35, the share of Haredi high-tech workers rose from about 2% to 6% over the past decade, indicating that the sector’s technological future is largely female-driven. This trend is reinforced by a 45% increase between 2018 and 2021 in the number of Haredi students in high-tech-related academic fields, which currently stands at approximately 14,700 students, 67% of whom are women, alongside a 37% rise in enrollment in engineering and technology tracks.
On the other hand, the report highlights a significant warning sign regarding wage disparities, revealing an average wage gap of about 57% between Haredi workers and non-Haredi Jewish workers in the industry. In 2019, Haredi women earned an average of only about NIS 93 per hour, largely due to their concentration in support roles, quality assurance, technological services, or outsourcing, rather than core software development positions. A more positive trend is seen in entrepreneurship, where approximately 200 startups founded by Haredi entrepreneurs have emerged over the past decade, currently accounting for about 5%-9% of all applications for development grants from the Israel Innovation Authority.
Dr. Nechumi Yaffe of Tel Aviv University noted that the data clearly reflects the gradual advancement of the population, particularly Haredi women, who increasingly recognize the value of participating in high-tech even if they are not yet in core positions.
