A significant number of yeshiva students are working despite a law barring them from doing so, according to a new study by the Israel Democracy Institute.

Haredi men who study in yeshivas, or religious seminaries, sign a Defense Ministry affidavit confirming their vocation and committing themselves not to enter the workforce before the age of 22.

After age 22, a student is permitted to work provided it’s outside yeshiva study hours. For unmarried students this commits them to study 45 hours a week. If they are married, 40 hours a week.

This means that as long as the yeshiva student is not married, he is still largely forbidden to work even after age 22.

The study, which relies on 2022 data, found that 8% of 18-year-olds were employed per month (on average), while 20% were employed at some point during the year.

By age 21, 36% were employed at some point during the year.

The employment rate gradually increases up to the age of 25, where, on average, one-third of yeshiva students were active in the labor market each month, with 45% of this age group having worked at least once during the year.

IDI researcher Gabriel Gordon said even though yeshiva students are barred from working until 22 and then permitted to do so in a limited capacity thereafter, “the data still indicate a significant percentage of workers in the age group where work is strictly prohibited (18-21), with the percentage increasing with age.”

The report noted that the findings are based on work reported in official state data, so that it is “very likely” that the report underestimates the percentage of working students.