Treasury report finds the burden falls overwhelmingly on non-Haredi Jewish men ages 25-44, who tend to earn more, have young children and are more likely to be students than their peersA month of reserve military service by an Israeli man aged 31 to 39 costs the economy an estimated NIS 68,000, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Finance Ministry’s chief economist, Shmuel Abramzon.The review examined workers absent from their jobs because of reserve duty and the broader economic cost of their service. It found that the burden is concentrated heavily among non-Haredi Jewish men aged 25 to 44, who account for about 83% of those absent from work for reserve duty despite making up only around 36% of the labor force.(Photo: IDF)Reservists also differ significantly from non-Haredi Jewish men of the same age who are not serving. Some 13% of reservists are students, compared with 6% among non-serving counterparts. About 63% are fathers of young children, compared with 51%, while only 8% are self-employed, compared with 14% among those not called up.The report also found that reservists earn about 42% more than comparable workers who were not absent because of military service.The cost of reserve service extends well beyond the lost output of an absent employee. It also affects households, spouses, career progression and educationAccording to the Treasury, that helps explain why the economic cost of reserve duty is substantially higher than previous estimates. The updated estimate for one month of service is about 39,000 shekels for non-Haredi Jewish men aged 22 to 30 and about 68,000 shekels for those aged 31 to 39.Previous estimates from the chief economist’s department put the figures at about 33,000 shekels and 54,000 shekels respectively.The findings suggest that the cost of reserve service extends well beyond the lost output of an absent employee. It also affects households, spouses, career progression and education, particularly because many reservists are in their prime working years and have young families.The overall cost becomes especially significant when large numbers of reservists are mobilized at the same time. Based on Bank of Israel calculations, maintaining about 60,000 reservists in service for a month, roughly the number serving during recent months, costs the economy about 2.3 billion shekels.