Lower employment in both the private and public sectors, coupled with fierce illegal competition from Syrian refugees undertaking low-skilled jobs, boosted Jordan’s jobless rate to a worrying 13.8% in Q3 from 11.9% in the preceding quarter and 11.4% in Q3 2014, the statistics office (DoS) said.
It is worth noting also that favourable seasonal employment parameters during the summer season, mainly in the services sector, failed to boost job creation in Q3.
The unemployment rate among men grew to 11.1% in Q3 from 10.1% in the preceding quarter while that among females climbed to 25.1% from 20.0% in Q2.
Youth unemployment (age group 15-19) reached 22.9% while that in the 20-24 age group hit 31.5% in Q3.
Jordan is trying to boost up youth employment through vocational training. The government has designed and implemented a school-to-work transition program, which aims to correct the skills mismatch in the labour market.
The jobless rate among people with high education stood at a high of 21.2% in Q3 in a worrying sign to the government which is also dealing with Syrian refugee inflows. Nearly 600,000 Jordanian live and work in the GCC.
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