Report says Jordan’s employment rate among lowest globally

AMMAN — Jordan should make every effort to bring more female talent into the workforce, recommended a recently released global report.

The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2017, issued last week by the World Economic Forum (WEF), ranked Jordan 54th among 79 developing economies with an Inclusive Development Index.

Jordan ranked in that position for the year 2017 with a score of 3.5 points.

A recent statement issued by Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) said that out of each 10 job opportunities created in Jordan, only 3.5 opportunities are available for women.

A survey on created jobs for the second half of 2015 showed that a total of 31,000 jobs were generated, 28,000 of which were for Jordanians at 89.6 per cent.

Another statement issued by SIGI on Tuesday said that 351,000 Jordanians are currently searching for jobs, 45 per cent of whom are women.

The statement added that 36 per cent of economically active women in the Kingdom do not work and are looking for jobs.

Meanwhile, the WEF report said the country’s employment rate is among the lowest globally, and unemployment reaches almost 30 per cent among the youth. 

According to the global report, Jordan’s labour productivity and median living standards are comparatively high; and income and wealth inequality are comparatively low. 

With regard to the areas measured in the framework, infrastructure is well-developed; and basic services such as sanitation and healthcare are relatively good, the report added.

However, it indicated that the education system in the Kingdom is not accessible for sufficient numbers of young people.

In addition, the tax system would be more supportive of inclusive growth if it were more progressive, the report said.