This paper relates to the employment situation of Bedouin women in the Negev/Naqab in the shadow of the Corona crisis. The document shows that as a result of the Corona crisis, there has been a serious setback in the employment rates of Bedouin Arab women in the Negev, causing their employment situation to deteriorate, and erasing many of the modest achievements made in the last decade. This document reviews selected issues in the field.

Based on the review presented in the document, it was recommended that the government adopt an overall strategy to improve the employment situation of the Bedouins in the Negev. A comprehensive program with quantitative and qualitative employment opportunities should be initiated, in which all the organizations and bodies dealing in employment in the Negev will be partners: employers and employees, industry and academia, government ministries, local authorities, and civil society organizations. The program should focus on the development of human capital, employment infrastructure and the establishment of a regional leadership network for employment and economic development. This program should relate to Bedouin women in general, and those with educational deficiencies in particular, as a key target audience. A massive investment in high-quality professional training should be invested in this target group, with the purpose of lifting them from poverty.