Webinar to review a new study What shapes migrant workers’ sense of security?

At the end of June, we marked the anniversary of the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion with an online meeting with researchers, government representatives and decision-makers, and representatives of civil society. At the meeting, we presented the findings of a study conducted by CIMI at the end of the first round of the war with Iran, which examined the labor migrants’ sense of security at that time. The study was based on a large-scale survey of 1,502 labor migrants from various countries working in a range of sectors. Three dimensions were used to examine the sense of security: Physical safety, occupational security, and support networks. The findings point to the supreme importance of support networks, notably the existence of someone available who can be contacted in an emergency, to reinforce the sense of security. In contrast, concern and pressure from the families in countries of origin were found to diminish the sense of security, even when the physical conditions in Israel, such as access to a safe space, reinforced it.

The study also found that clear, reliable, real-time information in a language the workers understood was key in strengthening their sense of security. Interestingly, occupational security was not found to have a significant impact. Considerable differences were found among groups of workers from different countries of origin, even those employed in the same sectors working under similar conditions.

Dr Anda Barak-Bianco, the head of CIMI’s Research and Evaluation Department, presented the study findings. This was followed by a panel discussion on the practical implications of the findings and their application in the field, with the participation of Moshe Nakash, head of the Foreign Workers Administration at PIBA, Major Nurit Jessica Barki Lieberman of the Home Front Command, and Vivian Ben Ami and Jessica Pearlman, representing the employers.

The discussion highlighted the collaboration between CIMI, PIBA, and the Home Front Command since June 2025, which was aimed at boosting the labor migrants’ sense of security and improving their access to information and assistance in an emergency. The meeting brought together the study findings with practical experience from the field and presented a learning process that can be applied in future emergencies.