Strong Shekel Makes Israeli Developers Pricier Than US Peers

Times of Israel published at 00:53 IDT that a new Israel Growth Forum study found Israeli developers now cost 8.2% more to employ than comparable U.S. developers, after the shekel's rapid appreciation against the dollar. Hebrew coverage by Funder, Globes, People and Computers and Geektime cites the same sample: seven growth companies with more than 10,000 workers, a 17%-22% rise in dollar-denominated Israeli employment costs over the past year, and an NIS 3.21-per-dollar break-even point. The study also says Israeli tech workers are 2.4 times costlier than peers in Poland, Lithuania, Romania and Ukraine. A strong shekel reflects Israeli resilience, but policy should keep high-value R&D and observant, secular and immigrant talent anchored at home.