Women make 37% of Jordan’s industrial workforce

AMMAN — Women make up around 37 per cent of the workforce in Jordan’s industrial sector, according to figures from the Jordan Chamber of Industry’s (JCI) Centre for Studies and Strategies.

Fadi Atrash, who represents the therapeutic industries and medical supply sector at JCI, told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported, that this figure reflects the growing presence of women across all levels of industrial production.

He emphasised that empowering women remains a “top” priority for the sector and is aligned with national policies aimed at boosting women’s economic participation and achieving greater equality in the workplace.

Atrash noted that the industrial sector plays a vital role in expanding opportunities for women, both as employees and business owners, and that this effort is tied to broader plans to ensure fair employment across the board.

According to the chamber’s data, more than 99,000 women are currently employed in the industrial sector out of a total of some 268,000 workers. The majority of them are Jordanians working in around 18,000 industrial facilities across the country.

He added that over 1,500 women serve as partners, members, or business owners in more than 600 industrial companies.

In many factories, women make up a significant share of the workforce, which Atrash attributed to their “high productivity, adherence to labour laws, and job stability.”

He also noted that the employee turnover rate among women stands at just 15 per cent, compared to 25 per cent for their male counterparts.

Atrash highlighted that the women’s empowerment strategy within Jordan’s Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV) includes a “strong” focus on promoting women’s initiatives in the manufacturing sector.

Atrash stressed the need to continue supporting women’s inclusion in a wider range of industrial roles and to enhance their participation in decision-making processes, adding that these goals are central to the EMV, which aims to create over 280,000 job opportunities for Jordanian women in the coming years.