Immigrants from North America helping to enrich Israel

JERUSALEM (Press Release)–The Jewish Agency for Israel has found a few interesting facts about those who have made aliyah to Israel recently:

• According to a study conducted by Deloitte Brightman Almagor Zohar (The Israeli branch of the Deloitte Touche network), the new Olim (immigrants) that came to Israel from North America between 2002 and 2008 represented a net economic gain of some $250 Million, when factoring in the combined value of tax revenues, education, tourism and personal assets.
• The study found that the immigrants were a good investment for the government.  The Olim have generated a net income of over $115 Million to the Israeli Government, a figure which was derived by subtracting the $132 million in government spending on the new citizens (elementary and high-school education, health care, the absorption basket and Hebrew lessons, as well as tuition and rent subsidies) from the $247 million in tax revenues gleaned from their economic activities
• According to data from the financial aid applications of olim, North American olim have brought an average of more than $180K in “immediately available financial assets” per household.
• Besides money, the olim bring another kind of economic assets:
  • 46% were under the age of 18
  • 32% were under the age of 25
  • 63% were under the age of 35
  • 94% were under the age of 65

• • 75% of olim had at least a  bachelor’s degree
  • 20% of olim had a Master degree
  • 5% had a doctorate

• Tourism: The Central Bureau of Statistics showed that 80% of the olim had received an annual average of two visitors from abroad for an average of two weeks each year

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Preceding provided by the Jewish Agency for Israel