A new study reveals that unemployment rates among Israeli ultra-Orthodox men and secular dropouts (with 4 or less years of education) is similar, reaching 50 percent.

The study was conducted by Prof. Dan Ben-David, the Executive Director of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, and is part of the center's 2011-2012 national report which would be published next week, reviewing the socioeconomic challenges the Israeli society is facing.

According to prof. Ben David, the two groups of population have both deteriorated in employment rates in recent decades.

One of the reasons for the failure of integrating the ultra- Orthodox, who study in different educational facilities, is that their schools do not teach core curriculum subjects beyond eighth grade, like math or English.

"Their preparedness for the modern labor market is similar to that of the secular Jewish dropouts or the Arab Israelis with next to zero formal education," Prof. Ben David told Xinhua on Monday.

"This has been reflected in a steady, multi-decade reduction in their chances of finding employment," he added.

Other primary findings from the survey reveal that the employment rates among Jews and Arabs with an academic degree have been very high for the past 30 years, reaching around 90 percent.

According to the study, Haredi males and least educated Israeli men have been on the decline as far as employment is concerned as far as the employment rates are concerned.

"At the end of the 1970's, Haredi male employment rates have been almost identical to the least educated Israeli men. Back then, education was not imperative to find a job. However now, in a competitive and global Israeli economy, employment rates among the uneducated are below 50 percent," Prof. Ben David explained.

"The data reflects the increasing lack of employment opportunities that the Haredi education system provides its sons with," he added.

"The implications of this data for the future of the Israeli economy are far reaching. Haredi children represent more than 20 percent of the children attending elementary schools today." Ben- David said.