Representatives from Jordan’s public employment agencies in the Syrian refugee-hosting communities of Irbid, Mafraq and Amman will meet with the ILO to discuss tools and methods on ways to enhance their services and formulate a strategic plan to deal with the ongoing refugee crisis. The meeting intends to examine some of the existing opportunities and challenges faced by employment services in these areas to introduce new methodologies and concepts in the field of employment services. The participants will also seek to develop a strategic plan and implementation scheme to enhance current services through the coordinated efforts with local stakeholders.

The meeting is part of the ILO Regional Office for Arab States’ response plan to the Syrian refugee crisis, which aims to build the resilience of host communities by enhancing access to employment opportunities and livelihoods. It is estimated there are currently over 567,000 registered Syrian refugees living in Jordan. While around 160,000 of these refugees live in designated camps, the remaining refugees have found shelter in host communities across Jordan, particularly in the cities of Amman, Mafraq and Irbid.