On June 15, 2025, the Minister of Labor announced the application of the provisions of Chapter D of the Emergency Employment Service Law to the entire country, which allows workplaces certified as “essential” and “workplaces providing subsistence services” to continue operating during the state of emergency.
On June 16, 2025, the Minister of Labor expanded the spectrum of workplaces that are allowed to operate and announced that workplaces in an “essential sector” may also operate during the state of emergency. In this regard, an “essential sector” refers to all entities involved in the service chain of Israel’s essential economy, including manufacturing, resources, services, materials, supplies, and other activities that are essential for the population’s subsistence, for the war effort and/or for the functioning of the economy.
On June 21, 2025, the National Emergency Authority (NEA), in conjunction with the relevant government ministries, published a definition of the term “essential sector” in order to ensure uniform understanding among the public and employers in the various sectors, as well as to enable the proper operation of the essential economy during the state of emergency.
Please note that the various sectors of the essential economy must operate in compliance with the Home Front Command’s public defense policy (including those that come in effect today, June 24, 2025 at 20:00).
A short list of definitions is specified in the following link: Definition of an essential sector (in Hebrew). The full list includes, inter alia, the following sectors: communications, energy, the financial and banking sector, the tax system, agriculture, transportation, food, beverages, toiletries and cleaning products, welfare and employment services, local authorities, construction and housing, healthcare, pharma and opticians.
The NEA’s publication provides practical guidance to employers, organizations and businesses serving the essential economy during the state of emergency.
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