Zalika: Govt. plans to open two trade centers in China & to create 600,000 jobs in coming decade

Ministry of Finance Accountant General Dr. Yaron Zalika told 50 manufacturers at the Manufacturers Association of Israel’s next generation forum last week, that the government was about to set up two trade centers in china at a cost of $2.5 m.
 
According to Zalika the centers would assist Israeli small and medium size companies willing to establish foothold in China but cannot afford the relatively high costs of setting up own office.
 
Zalika also told the forum that the government plans to increase employment from 2.4 million to three million in the next decade. Zalika added that the Government was working on a plan to create 600,000 jobs over the next decade. The emphasis, according to Zalika, was on the business sector which plays an important role in reducing unemployment.
 
Figures based on analysis made by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that public services recruited 46% of the 33,100 increase in employment in the first quarter.
 
The figures show also that that public service employment in Israel has gone up by 29,700 (4.1%) since the first quarter of 2004, accounting for 44% of the 67,600 increase in total employment during this period.
 
However, according to the CBS, the business sector recruited only 11,200 employees, a 0.7% increase, in the first quarter of 2005, less than in the public services.
 
Mr. Yossi Ashkenazi chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Israel’s next generation forum said that in his opinion industry was the most important growth engine in the economy and hence must be encouraged. Industry, according to Ashkenazi, provides the highest added value to the economy far more than trade and services.