"A whole generation stuck in waiting": The damage to reservists' wages could reach 20%
A decline in wages, delays in studies, and career stagnation: A new study by the Taub Center warns of the long-term consequences of prolonged service since October 7. About 70,000 students served in the reserves in the past year, and the average payment per day of service dropped by about 30%.
"I met a regular soldier in the reserves who told me he sees no horizon" — this is what Ori Oberman, a reserve soldier and one of the authors of a new study conducted by the Taub Center, said while presenting the expected damage to reserve soldiers and their families. "The young soldier knows that when he is released, he will be called up again and again. He does not see his future." Oberman, whose wife served in the reserves alongside him until recently, noted: "This soldier does not start his life, does not enroll in studies, and does not integrate into the labor market. This creates significant damage to the employment market and may constitute an erosion of human capital. People sharpen their skills less in their careers, miss out on promotions, and are afraid to make changes."
This grim personal story is backed by data in the study that Oberman conducted together with Michael Dabawi and Dr. Sarit Silverman. According to the report, during 2024, the average payment per day of reserve duty decreased by about 30 percent. "These horrific data prove that the price we pay for carrying the stretcher alone is unbearable," said Staff Sergeant (Res.) Aviv Ezra from Tel Aviv, who serves in the 187th Brigade and has completed about 400 days of reserve duty. "It is impossible that the young people fighting for the country on the front are abandoned by it in the rear."
The study predicts that in the long term, prolonged service may lead to persistent damage. The researchers estimated that the average reservist, who reported for at least 233 days, is expected to lose almost five percent of their salary. For reserve soldiers who are fathers and served 290–320 days — a population numbering more than 100,000 people — the salary damage is expected to be at least six percent, and according to stricter estimates, it could reach 20 percent.
In terms of higher education, about 70,000 students served in the reserves in the 2024/25 academic year. The rate of undergraduate students dropped to the lowest point since 2018/19, particularly in the peak ages for acquiring a degree (women aged 22–24 and men aged 25–29).
"In the training of a fighter, there is something called 'route fog.' They teach him that uncertainty is a part of your life. As reservists, our whole lives have become foggy: studies, career, work, family," said Staff Sergeant (Res.) Rochelle Moshiev from Tel Aviv, a fighter in the 551st Brigade. "The world is adapted for people who work all year, not for those who divide their time between several frameworks. If you happened to be fired or opened a business without an income history, you instantly become an employee receiving below the average salary."
Another finding concerns the gap between the center and the periphery. While the number of reserve days for those serving in the center changed according to security needs, the scope of recruitment in Judea and Samaria and the northern border remained stable due to settlement defense tasks.
Dr. Silverman concluded: "Looking at all those serving, there are challenges, and they all have the same root — the dual life. It starts with damage to higher education for 20-year-olds, continues to career stagnation for 30-year-olds, and then 40-year-olds face difficulties because they know the security situation may change and they will be called up by 'Tzav 8'." Michael Dabawi added: "I see around me a whole generation of young reservists stuck in a state of endless waiting that does not allow them to start their real lives."
