JERUSALEM (Reuters – Israel will import high-tech workers on a temporary basis in order to counter a shortage of labour force during the pandemic, Avigdor Lieberman, finance minister said Monday.

Lieberman addressed his party’s lawmakers and stated that Israel experienced a shortage of labour during the coronavirus epidemic. Employers demanded action from the government including foreigners seeking work permits.

“We will do a sort of experiment within the high-tech industry. In his remarks, which were broadcast live on Israeli TV, he stated that he would approve the entry of foreign workers into high-tech sectors.

Lieberman did not give any numbers nor a time frame for the trial in Israel’s high-tech boom, which has raised $22.5 billion so far this year.

To slow down the spread Omicron from COVID-19, no foreigners are allowed to enter the country.

Avi Hasson CEO, Start-Up Nation Central is a non-profit organization that follows closely the Israeli tech industry. He said there was a “chronic shortage of tens to thousands of workers” in the sector.

The salaries in the technology industry are much higher than those of the average country and employ about 10%. Premier Naftali Bennett stated that he hopes this figure will rise to 15%.

Local tech companies compete fiercely for jobs with hundreds of multinational firms with R&D centres in Israel, including Apple (NASDAQ:), Facebook (NASDAQ:), Microsoft (NASDAQ:), IBM (NYSE:), Google, (NASDAQ:), and Intel (NASDAQ.