Shibli Haneen, Kuodi Paul, Dror Amiel, Zayyad Hiba, Wertheim Ofir, Jabal Kamal Abu, Nazzal Saleh, Glikman Daniel, Edelstein Michael
The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, P.O.B. 1589, Safed, 1311502, Israel.
Galilee Medical Center, Nahariya, Israel.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Mar 31;25(1):1205. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22426-8.
The impact of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) extends beyond health, potentially affecting long-term income and employment dynamics. In Israel, disparities exist between Jewish and Arab populations across many dimensions, including socioeconomic. The study's primary aim was to compare changes in employment and income among COVID-19-infected and non-infected participants among Jews and Arabs, the two main population groups comprising the population of Israel.
We conducted a cross-sectional study between March 2021 and June 2022 among adults employed prior to the pandemic, whose SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test was processed in three hospitals in Israel's Northern District. Using a validated online survey, we collected information about socio-demographics, SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccination, employment (full-time, part-time, unemployed, retired), and income status by income bracket. Multivariate binary logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and (1) changes in employment status and (2) income decreases among Jewish and Arab participants.
Of the 7741 respondents, 1468 met our inclusion criteria (fully answered employment questions, employed pre-pandemic). Of these, 19% were Arabs, and 36% (n = 523) reported SARS-CoV-2 infection. High-income earners were less likely to experience employment and income changes than low-income earners (OR = 0.4 for both, p < 0.01). After adjusting for age, gender, vaccination, income level, and other socio-economic factors, Arab participants who reported SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to report employment change and income loss (OR = 7.0 and 4.2 respectively, p < 0.01). No association between infection and changes in employment or income was found among Jewish participants.
After adjusting for potential socio-economic confounders, SARS-CoV-2 Infection was a significant determinant of employment changes and income loss among Arabs, but not Jews, in Israel. This finding suggests the pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and highlights the need for economic recovery policies specifically targeting vulnerable groups.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的影响超出了健康领域，可能会影响长期收入和就业动态。在以色列，犹太人和阿拉伯人在包括社会经济在内的许多方面存在差异。该研究的主要目的是比较以色列两个主要人口群体——犹太人和阿拉伯人中，感染COVID-19和未感染COVID-19的参与者在就业和收入方面的变化。
我们在2021年3月至2022年6月期间，对大流行前就业的成年人进行了一项横断面研究，这些人的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）聚合酶链反应检测在以色列北部地区的三家医院进行。通过一项经过验证的在线调查，我们收集了有关社会人口统计学、SARS-CoV-2感染、疫苗接种、就业情况（全职、兼职、失业、退休）以及按收入等级划分的收入状况的信息。多元二元逻辑回归模型用于估计SARS-CoV-2感染与（1）就业状况变化和（2）犹太和阿拉伯参与者收入减少之间的关联。
在7741名受访者中，1468人符合我们的纳入标准（完整回答了就业问题，在大流行前就业）。其中，19%为阿拉伯人，36%（n = 523）报告感染了SARS-CoV-2。高收入者比低收入者经历就业和收入变化的可能性更小（两者的比值比均为0.4，p < 0.01）。在调整了年龄、性别、疫苗接种、收入水平和其他社会经济因素后，报告感染SARS-CoV-2的阿拉伯参与者更有可能报告就业变化和收入损失（比值比分别为7.0和4.2，p < 0.01）。在犹太参与者中，未发现感染与就业或收入变化之间存在关联。
在调整了潜在的社会经济混杂因素后，SARS-CoV-2感染是以色列阿拉伯人就业变化和收入损失的一个重要决定因素，但对犹太人不是。这一发现表明，大流行加剧了先前存在的不平等现象，并凸显了针对弱势群体的经济复苏政策的必要性。
