JERUSALEM: 2,000 Moldovan construction laborers are expected in Israel as plans to bring in Chinese workers have stalled. The housing department in the Ministry of Finance, led by Avigdor Yitzhaki, plans to bring Eastern European construction workers to Israel. An Israeli delegation returned from Chișinău (formerly Kishinev), the Moldovan capital, after an initial intake of hundreds of local laborers, sources informed “Globes”.
The ministry’s housing unit, other government ministries, and construction professionals are attempting to increase the supply of workers, after the government decided to import foreign workers and while talks with the Chinese government continue to drag on.
Several months ago, the Finance Ministry committed to increasing the supply of Chinese workers to 20,000 without signing a bilateral treaty but the negotiations with the Chinese government have not progressed.
Sources also informed “Globes” the Israeli delegation stayed in Moldova for a week and included Yitzhaki as well as representatives of the Construction Ministry, the Population and Immigration Authority, the association of construction companies, and a group of managers from Israeli building developers.
