Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Jordan (Ratification: 1966)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Coordination of employment policy with poverty reduction. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in November 2009 in reply to the 2008 direct request. The Government has adopted the National Agenda (2006–15), which includes three action phases, the first of which, “Employment opportunities for all” (2007–12) emphasizes the intensive development of manpower, the growth of export industries, the eradication of structural unemployment and support for employment and vocational training. The National Agenda sets the objective of reducing the unemployment rate by half (from 12.7 per cent in 2008 to 6.8 per cent in 2017), creating 600,000 new vacancies and increasing the activity rate of persons with disabilities and of women. In the document Kulluna Al Urdun (“We are all Jordanians”) adopted in 2007, the representatives of Jordanian civil society expressed support for the objectives of the National Agenda. The document contains recommendations, particularly in relation to taxation, human resources development and the evaluation of enterprise performance. It also emphasizes the importance of reforming labour legislation with a view to promoting openness and flexibility in the labour market. The Committee also notes the document on the national employment policy, of October 2008, which provides a detailed analysis of the labour market situation, identifies the causes of unemployment and proposes a framework for action based on several approaches including: the coordination of vocational training policy with employment policy with a view to reducing the mismatch between labour supply and demand; the implementation of special measures to remove administrative obstacles to the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises; the promotion of a conducive environment for the integration of informal economy enterprises into the formal economy; and the reduction of disparities in regional development and the promotion of labour mobility. The Government indicates in its report that the number of jobseekers reached 24,029 in 2008, of whom 8,668 have been integrated into the labour market. The Committee invites the Government to provide detailed information in its next report on the results achieved in the implementation of the National Agenda (2006–15) in terms of the creation of productive and lasting employment. The Government is also invited to supplement its report with updated statistical data on the situation, level and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment.

Coordination of education and training policy with employment policy. The Government indicates that the Vocational Training Institute has implemented a restructuring project with a view to establishing a vocational and technical education and training system offering high-quality training opportunities which respond to the needs of employers. This restructuring project will enable the Vocational Training Institute to achieve the objectives of the National Agenda, which envisages the establishment of two new vocational training bodies, the Employment and Vocational and Technical Training Council and the Higher Council for Human Resources Development. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on the measures adopted or envisaged to ensure that vocational training policies respond to the needs of the labour market. It invites the Government to include further information on the role of the training bodies and on the coordination established between the measures adopted in the context of education and training policies and of employment policy.

Youth employment. The Committee notes the statistics on the number of graduates who entered the labour market in 2005 and their distribution over three regions. According to the data contained in the national employment policy document of October 2008, each year between 70,000 and 80,000 young persons need to be integrated into the labour market, with the unemployment rate among young persons aged between 20 and 24 years amounting to 38 per cent of the active population. According to the information gathered in the General Survey of 2010 concerning employment instruments, the Committee noted that the unemployment rate is very high among educated workers, and particularly young university graduates, who are unable to find employment commensurate with their skill levels. This is now an issue for the advanced and developing countries, with the skills of young graduates being underutilized so that they have to accept casual jobs. Such a situation can prove detrimental to their lifetime career progression. The Committee therefore encourages governments to develop job creation and career guidance policies targeted in particular at this new category of the educated unemployed (General Survey, op. cit., paragraph 800). The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the impact of vocational training programmes and on the results achieved in terms of the integration of young educated workers. In particular, the Committee would be grateful to examine information disaggregated by gender on the training provided to young persons entering working life, and particularly those with a university qualification, and on its impact in terms of their integration into lasting employment.

Women’s employment. According to the information provided by the Government in July 2009, the Vocational Training Institute implemented a programme intended to increase the participation rate of women in training programmes. According to the National Agenda, the expected results would involve vocational education and training systems which respond more effectively to the needs of the labour market and active participation by the private sector in vocational education and training systems. According to the data contained in the national employment policy document of October 2008, the unemployment rate of women amounted to 26.1 per cent of the active population in 2007, and graduates of higher education were those most affected by unemployment. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the measures adopted or envisaged to improve and facilitate the integration of women into the labour market.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government indicates that consultations have been held in the context of the meetings organized within the Ministry of Employment, with the participation of representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations and members of civil society. The Committee hopes that the Government will be in a position to provide precise information in its next report on the consultations held with the representatives of the social partners concerning employment policy. The Committee invites the Government to indicate whether consultations have been held with the most vulnerable categories of the population, and particularly with representatives of workers in rural areas and the informal economy, with a view to securing their collaboration in the design and implementation of employment policy programmes and measures.

Part V of the report form. ILO technical assistance. The Committee notes the technical cooperation projects established by the ILO in Jordan, and notes that the final phase of the handicraft promotion project was signed in September 2008. The project is intended to improve the training system in the field of handicrafts by promoting partnerships with the private sector and establishing networks of sales points, an Internet site and brochures to improve the marketing of handicraft production. The Committee also notes the Better Work project and its objective of reducing poverty by broadening opportunities for decent work in global supply chains through the improvement of the competitiveness of Jordanian enterprises, the development of their economic performance and the promotion of international labour standards. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the action taken as a result of the technical assistance received from the Office with a view to ensuring the implementation of an active employment policy within the meaning of the Convention. It also invites the Government to provide information on the progress achieved in relation to the employment priorities of the Decent Work Country Programme.