New research products developed under the ILO-RDPP Research partnership on “Improved Livelihoods of Jordanian and Syrian Youth in Jordan”

A launch event was held in Amman on 13 December 2022 to present the findings and recommendations of the research products conducted within the framework of the ILO- RDPP Research Partnership in Jordan.

Press release | 13 December 2022
Amman, Jordan (ILO News): In view of the structural labour market challenges in Jordan and in light of the compounded crises that have hit the country over the past decade, Jordanian and Syrian Youth, including women in particular, have experienced staggering rates of unemployment and high levels of labour underutilization. Scattered programmes and the lack of sufficient evidence needed to develop effective policies and measures have exacerbated youth employment challenges in the country and failed to support decent and productive job creation for the increasingly educated youth.

Against this backdrop, the International Labour Organization (ILO), with funding from the European Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP II) for Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, conducted five research papers to analyze the employment, skills and economic landscape in the country, and identify gaps and opportunities for improved employment prospects for Jordanian and Syrian youth in the country. The different thematic papers used a mix of research methods, ranging from desk research and secondary data review to primary data collection, including quantitative surveys, focus group discussion and key informant interviews.

On December 13, 2022, the ILO organized a launch event at the St. Regis Hotel in Amman, to present the results of the five research papers conducted under the ILO-RDPP project and discuss findings and recommendations with relevant national and international stakeholders, including government representatives, UN agencies, donor representatives, NGOs and private sector representatives, amongst others.

The event highlighted the multi-faceted challenges that have, for decades, hindered young people’s effective participation in the labour market and economic sphere in Jordan, and identified opportunities for their better access to decent and productive jobs.

The first research paper, titled "Skills for Green and Digital transitions and Employment in Jordan”, identified target sectors and sub-sectors with high potential to create green and digitally enabled jobs. Policy recommendations to improve the skills and employment opportunities of young Syrians and Jordanians in these sectors were discussed, focusing on both general overarching recommendations as well as sector-specific ones.

The second research paper looked into the role of “Exports for Decent Youth Livelihoods and Labour Formalization in Jordan” and discussed recommendations to increase engagement of Jordanian enterprises in international trade including specifically at higher ends of the value chain, while at the same time promoting formalization and ensuring the creation of decent jobs for the youth.

The third paper discussed “Labour market transitions of young women and men in Jordan”, both from a demand- and a supply-side perspective. The presentation shed light on the challenges faced by young people in transitioning from school to work as well as employers’ perspectives with regard to employing young job applicants.

Fourth was the research on “Jordan’s Platform Economy, and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Role of Platform-Facilitated Work”. This paper focused on two sectors, namely Writing and Translation; and Creative and Multimedia, and examined working conditions, motivations and challenges faced by platform economy workers. In view of the increasing role of platform-facilitated work and its potential to absorb increasing numbers of young jobseekers, policy recommendations to better govern platform work and ensure decent working conditions were also presented and discussed.

Last but not least, the research on “Growth, Macroeconomic Policies and Employment” was presented, shedding light on the importance of developing pro-employment demand side policies capable of supporting the creation of decent and productive jobs for the youth. This is particularly key in Jordan in view of the lack of sufficient and decent jobs available to the increasingly educated young population.

In the closing remarks, the ILO emphasized the need to put these studies’ recommendations into practice and ensure their effective implementation through relevant policy reforms and programmes.