Israel’s construction sector, which has long suffered from a lack of sufficient manpower, received a boost Wednesday after an Israeli delegation signed a bilateral agreement with the Chinese government to bring more than 6,000 Chinese laborers to Israel in the next half year.

The agreement, which followed protracted negotiations, is slated to be made official in late February, the Israeli news website Walla reported.

Israel’s Finance Ministry has long been promising to open Israel’s doors to some 20,000 Chinese laborers, but the government’s efforts have until now been unsuccessful.

“After efforts that lasted for more than a year and a half, I’m happy our representatives signed a deal to bring thousands of Chinese workers [to Israel], who will provide an energy boost to resolving the housing crisis. This achievement is an excellent beginning to 2017,” Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said.

In recent years, Israel has signed similar labor deals with Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova to bolster the Jewish state’s construction industry, Walla reported.