Nearly one in five Israeli men between the ages of 35 and 54 do not work, including Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews

Nearly 27% of Arab men and 65% of ultra-Orthodox Jews don't work with the non-employment rate for ultra-Orthodox men having tripled since 1970. This nonproductive part of Israel's population, which survives largely on welfare, is also the fastest growing. Arabs and the ultra-Orthodox together make up less than 30% of the population, but they account for nearly half of school-age children. Over the last 30 years, the percentage of working ultra-Orthodox men has decreased because of government programs that subsidize their religious study.