LUCKNOW: Indians queuing in long lines for jobs in Israel as the war with Hamas grinds on say the risks to their safety are preferable to hunger at home.Recruiters are aiming to fill a labour shortage in Israel exacerbated by nearly four months of fighting against Palestinian militants in Gaza.While India is the world’s fifth-largest economy and one of the fastest growing, it has struggled to produce enough full-time and well-paying jobs for millions of people.For the hundreds of Indians in line, almost all men, the chance of a skilled construction job in Israel — and wages up to 18 times higher — outweighs their fears.”If it is written in our fate to die, we’ll die there — at least our kids will get something,” said motorbike mechanic Jabbar Singh, among the packed crowd at a training centre and recruitment site in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state. “It’s better than hunger here.”India’s urban unemployment rate — the percentage of people wanting work who cannot find a job — dipped to 5.1 percent in July 2022-June 2023, from 6.6 percent between the same months a year earlier.Over the same period, nearly 22 percent of India’s workforce was classified as “casual labour”, with average monthly wages a paltry 7,899 rupees ($95), according to government figures.Indian tile designer Deepak Kumar said it was a matter of “work for four days, eat for two days”.Kumar said he followed the news and knew the risks, but wanted to find work for the sake of his children.”I will smile and take a bullet — but will take 150,000 rupees ($1,800)”, he said.
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