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

A new Finance Ministry report has revealed major salary disparities across Israel’s security organizations, with employees in some Defense Ministry auxiliary units earning more than twice the average salary of younger career soldiers.

The report also found that the average state pension of an IDF officer is valued at approximately NIS 9 million.

The figures were published in the Finance Ministry’s Salary and Labor Agreements Division report on defense system employees for 2023-2024. The report examines the impact of the war, salary agreements, and changes in the workforce composition of Israel’s security organizations.

The highest average salary was recorded among Defense Ministry auxiliary units, including the Atomic Energy Commission, where employees earned an average of NIS 34,315 gross per month in 2024.

Employees at Israel’s intelligence agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency), earned an average of NIS 32,225, while the average salary at the Israel Institute for Biological Research stood at NIS 31,932.

IDF's average salary lowest among branches examined in report

The average salary for civilian employees of the IDF totaled NIS 22,926, while Israel Police employees earned an average of NIS 20,562 and Prison Service employees earned NIS 18,889.

The Finance Ministry noted, however, that significant salary increases granted to police and Prison Service employees from mid 2024 are expected to be fully reflected only in the 2025 report.

Alongside rising salaries, the number of employees across Israel’s security organizations also increased. In 2024, the police employed approximately 26,900 workers, the Prison Service employed about 9,500, and the IDF’s civilian workforce included around 8,500 employees.

Together, the three organizations with publicly available figures employed approximately 44,900 workers, an increase of about 2,500 employees within one year. The number of IDF personnel and employees in the intelligence agencies and Defense Ministry auxiliary units was not disclosed.

The IDF’s overall average salary was the lowest among the organizations examined, standing at NIS 18,756. At the same time, salaries for younger career soldiers continued to rise. The average salary for soldiers in their initial career service period reached NIS 13,845 per month, compared with NIS 11,786 in 2022, an increase of approximately 17.5%.

At the top end of the salary scale, the average monthly salary of an IDF major general reached NIS 73,099. A police commissioner earned an average of NIS 66,084, while the average salary of a Prison Service commissioner stood at NIS 62,946.

The war also contributed to an expansion of the IDF’s civilian workforce. The number of civilian employees increased from approximately 6,600 in 2021 to about 8,000 in 2024, primarily due to recruitment in intelligence, cyber, and technology fields. As a result, the average age of civilian IDF employees declined from 50 to 44.

Average pension higher than 2024 target, report finds

One of the report’s key findings concerns the state pension system for IDF officers. The average cumulative value of an officer’s pension stands at approximately NIS 9 million, with the average retirement age at 45 and the average monthly pension payment reaching NIS 20,019.

The average pension is approximately NIS 4,300 higher than the target set for 2024, which stood at NIS 15,717. The target for 2025 is NIS 15,553, but the report warned that the figures raise concerns that the IDF will not be able to meet that goal.

Under Israeli law, if the average pension of retiring officers remains above the target, the finance minister will be required to establish new regulations governing pension payments.

Women currently make up about one-third of career soldiers in the IDF and 41.2% of employees at the Israel Institute for Biological Research.

However, gender salary gaps widened slightly in 2024, partly due to activity and combat-related bonuses that were primarily awarded to field positions, where the proportion of men is higher.