First Quarter 2007 Update Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel is an independent, non-profit and non-partisan research institute funded by a permanent endowment created by the JDC and private donations. The Center's 1st quarter economic update for 2007 delves into several issues facing Israel today. Most economic indicators continued to rise in the first quarter of 2007. The unemployment rate is continuing to decline. According to the latest economic outlooks for 2007, growth will continue at a 5.1% rate and the unemployment rate should continue to be stable or even drop. The Taub Index of Social Confidence confirms that people are feeling more confident regarding their employment, their employment stability, personal security, etc. Nevertheless, a closer examination reveals that social confidence has increased for those in the higher income brackets but remained low for those with less education and lower income. Increasing social gaps of this sort are indicative of the wide socio-economic gaps in Israeli society and are an increasing source of concern. Click here to read the full report. May 2007