Finance Ministry report reveals major salary gaps across Israel's security organizations

A recent Finance Ministry report has exposed substantial salary differences across Israel's various security organizations, revealing that employees in certain Defense Ministry auxiliary units earn more than double the average salary of junior career soldiers. The report, covering 2023-2024, analyzes the effects of the ongoing conflict, salary agreements, and shifts in workforce composition within these entities. In 2024, employees within Defense Ministry auxiliary units, which include the Atomic Energy Commission, recorded the highest average gross monthly salary at NIS 34,315. Following closely were employees at Israel's intelligence agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency), with an average salary of NIS 32,225, and the Israel Institute for Biological Research, averaging NIS 31,932 per month. Conversely, the report indicates that civilian employees of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earned an average of NIS 22,926 monthly. Employees of the Israel Police earned an average of NIS 20,562, and those in the Prison Service averaged NIS 18,889. The IDF's overall average salary was the lowest among the branches examined, standing at NIS 18,756. However, salaries for younger career soldiers have seen an increase, rising to an average of NIS 13,845 per month from NIS 11,786 in 2022, a jump of approximately 17.5%. The report also noted an increase in the number of employees across Israel's security organizations. In 2024, the police employed around 26,900 workers, the Prison Service about 9,500, and the IDF's civilian workforce comprised approximately 8,500 employees. The total number of workers in these three organizations alone reached about 44,900, an increase of roughly 2,500 employees in one year. The figures for IDF personnel and employees in intelligence agencies and Defense Ministry auxiliary units were not publicly disclosed. At the higher end of the salary scale, the average monthly earnings for an IDF major general reached NIS 73,099. A police commissioner earned an average of NIS 66,084, while the average salary for a Prison Service commissioner was NIS 62,946. The report also highlighted that the war has contributed to an expansion of the IDF's civilian workforce, particularly in intelligence, cyber, and technology fields, with the number of civilian employees growing from about 6,600 in 2021 to approximately 8,000 in 2024.