Youth in Jordan face difficult transition from school to decent work | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

Despite having good access to education, the number of youth in the labour market in Jordan is very low, especially among young women, a new ILO study finds.

The study – published in June and titled “Labour market transitions of young women and men in Jordan’’ – shows that periods of transition from school to work in the country can be extremely long in Jordan. While some young people move swiftly from school to their current job, those who do not experience a direct transition take almost three years to find stable or satisfactory employment.

“The report highlights an important category of society which is Jordan’s youth population, giving us accurate numbers in terms of unemployment, youth inactivity in the labour force and education levels for both sexes,” said Dr. Mohammed al-Qudah, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Labour. “We will build on some of the indicators found in the survey. As you know, Jordan is facing a number of challenges in the labour market.”

The study found that male youth unemployment rates drop as the level of education increases. In contrast, the unemployment rates among female youth in Jordan remain stubbornly above 40 per cent regardless of the level of education attained.

For more information, please click here.