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The Committee notes the Government's report.

1. With reference to its previous comments regarding female participation in non-traditional occupations, the Committee notes the Government's indication in its report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, submitted in 1997) that, while the level of female participation in the labour market has reached almost 50 per cent, the occupational segregation and the glass-ceiling phenomenon remains entrenched. Statistics in this report show that the agriculture (80 per cent), manufacturing (80 per cent), electricity and water supply (85 per cent), construction (95 per cent), and transport, storage and communication (75 per cent) branches are predominately male, while the education (70 per cent), health, welfare and social services (70 per cent), and domestic personnel (90 per cent) branches are predominantly female (percentages are approximative, as indicated in chart 8 in the CEDAW report). The Committee further notes from the report that women's participation in the workforce has been steadily rising (from 43.4 per cent in 1993 to 45.5 per cent in 1995), whereas men's participation has remained the same (62.8 per cent in 1993 to 62.6 per cent in 1995), as well as the indication that women's marital status, the number of children they have, their age, and their educational level, including knowledge of Hebrew, are all variables that greatly affect women's participation in the workforce. The report also states that one of the major differences between working men and women in Israel is the fact that almost three times as many women as men are engaged in part-time work. In addition, the Committee notes from Israel's report to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (United Nations document E/1990/5/Add.39 of 20 January 1998) that employment trends differ widely between men and women. The Committee requests the Government to indicate how it has taken into consideration and addressed the above-mentioned issues through its national policies, programmes or other measures.

2. With regard to training, the Committee further notes from the CEDAW report that, in 1996, a Unit for the Advancement of Women and Girls was established within the Division for Training and Development of the Ministry of Labor and Welfare. One of the unit's goals is to increase professional options for women in order to improve their integration into the labour market. To this end, during 1996, it created special workshops for women in the areas of self-empowerment, orientation in job search, entrepreneurship and others. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on further initiatives developed by the unit in this respect, including information on the number of participants and results obtained. At the same time, the report also shows that, out of the 102 vocational courses provided to unemployed persons by the Ministry of Labor and Welfare, 51 per cent are attended mainly by men and 24 per cent are attended mainly by women, whereby the former offer training in higher paying professions while the latter offer training in traditional women's professions. The Committee would be grateful if the Government were to provide, in its future reports, information on the measures taken to widen the training and occupational choices of women and to encourage training and employment in occupations traditionally reserved for men. The Committee refers the Government also to its comments under the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) with regard to the implications of the above for the wage gap between men and women.

3. The Committee notes the Government's indication in its CEDAW report that a proposal for the establishment of a national authority for the advancement of gender equality is currently under review by government ministries. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the status of this proposal.

4. The Committee understands that draft legislation is being considered or has been adopted concerning sexual harassment and sexual orientation. It requests the Government to provide it with a copy of the (draft) legislation, as well as any further relevant information in this regard.

5. With reference to its earlier comments with regard to progress made in increasing the rate of participation in the labour market of non-Jewish women in light of the fact that the percentage of non-Jewish women without any formal training has dropped from over 50 per cent in 1970 to 17 per cent in 1993, the Committee notes from the CEDAW report that the Unit for the Advancement of Women and Girls offers specific workshops for Bedouin, Arab and immigrant women. The Committee requests the Government to supply with its future reports detailed information on measures taken to increase more substantially the rate of participation of non-Jewish women in training and employment, and on the results obtained. It also requests the Government again to provide it with extracts of the relevant parts of the study of labour market characteristics of the non-Jewish population which it requested in its previous comments.

6. The Committee notes the Government's indication in its report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (United Nations document CERD/C/294/Add.1 of 17 October 1997) that, where previously the emphasis was placed on providing equal opportunity for all from a formal-technical point of view, in recent years the emphasis has been shifted to affirmative action for specific groups. The Committee notes the efforts made in this respect, as reflected in this report in the areas of access to employment and education, with regard to Ethiopian Jews and Israeli workers of Arab origin. The Committee would like to receive detailed information on the measures implemented to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian Jews, Bedouin and other minorities in access to training and employment and to particular occupations, and the results obtained.

7. With reference to its previous comments with regard to appeals heard under section 43 of the Employment Service Act (concerning appeals to regional labour tribunals against decisions taken, under section 42(b) of the same Act, by the employment offices not to recruit a worker on the basis of the character or nature of the work or for reasons related to state security), the Committee requests the Government to continue to provide copies of relevant key judicial decisions handed down, including a copy of Plony v. State of Israel.