Israel's Economy
The Soviet Immigration Wave
How about a million immigrants from the former Soviet Union arrived in the 1990s, many highly educated, boosting Israel's tech sector.
In the 1990s, about one million immigrants arrived from the former Soviet Union.
Scale
This increased Israel’s population by roughly 20%.
Skills
Many were engineers, scientists, doctors and musicians.
Challenges
- Many initially worked in jobs below their skills.
- Housing shortages.
Tech boom
The influx of engineers helped fuel the 1990s tech boom.
Economics
Skilled immigration can boost growth when absorbed well.
The engineer
A Soviet-trained engineer first works as a cleaner, then joins a tech firm and later founds one.
Thinking immigration only strains economies
Skilled immigrants fuelled Israel's tech boom.
Key takeaways
- About a million Soviet immigrants arrived in the 1990s.
- Many were highly educated.
- They helped the tech boom.
- Integration took time.
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