The Mossad and Shin Bit are seeking to recruit employees from Israel’s struggling tech sector, and trying to adapt employee contracts in order to attract them. Currently, many contracts for these security organizations, as well as the IDF and the Israel Police, are based on union agreements that set salary caps for roles, limiting their ability to compete.
The Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Knesset has discussed over recent days requests made by Mossad and the Shin Bet regarding their working conditions and salaries. During the discussion, the Mossad said that it is aiming for 40% of the organization’s personnel to be employed through personal contracts. The Mossad’s decision to change its employment model was revealed by Calcalist last year, and was promoted by current Mossad Director David Barnea and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
According to the Ministry of Finance, market conditions and competition from the private sector make it difficult to recruit employees for these organizations. Proposed legislation would allow employees of these organizations to choose a personal contract (with different benefits from what government employees typically receive). The head of the human resources department at the Mossad added that the difficulty in recruitment is in areas such as tech, cyber and psychology.
The head of the Shin Bet’s HR division said that “there is no escaping from adapting the employment model to today’s market” as the current employment model is no longer relevant and it is not possible to recruit or retain tech workers. He added that today essential units of the Shin Bet have technological elements that require new hires from the outside who understand new technology.
The IDF is still conducting negotiations with the Ministry of Finance regarding a similar arrangement for employees. The proposal was unanimously accepted by all members of the Knesset from the coalition and the opposition and it will go to a second and third reading as part of the vote on the state budget.
