Research Partnership for Improved Livelihoods of Jordanian & Syrian Youth

Through this research partnership, the ILO aims to support the Government of Jordan and national constituents in responding to the youth employment challenge and supporting dialogue around policies and strategies for improving the livelihoods of young Syrians and Jordanians through evidence-based research and analysis.

Jordan lies in the heart of the Middle East and North Africa, a region marked by political and economic volatility. Over the past decade, the country has endured a cascade of exogenous shocks, starting with the 2008 global economic crisis, and followed by incessant upheaval in the region, especially in neighbouring Syria. The chain of events produced devastating social and economic outcomes, which the country struggles to withstand to this day. Nonetheless, Jordan remained adamant about playing a proactive role in the moderation of the Syrian crisis and maintaining relative stability in spite of adversities. More recently, however, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic not only exacerbated existing challenges, but also introduced new threats to the wellbeing of the country’s population.

Today, Jordanian youth are facing multi-faceted challenges and opportunities that influence their livelihoods, resilience and future prospects. Responding to this evolving landscape requires swift, targeted, and evidence-based strategies, policies, and interventions that place youth at the heart of socio-economic priorities and help Jordan in achieving its sustainable development goals. Nevertheless, the limited availability of youth-centred data and information remains an obstacle to achieving these objectives.

Against this backdrop, and through a participatory approach, this ILO-RDPP partnership aims to produce up-to-date information on labour market dynamics in Jordan to support the Government and relevant national stakeholders in addressing current and future employment challenges and adequately responding to the crisis, including through mitigating its impact on livelihoods, especially among vulnerable segments of the population.

Objectives

• Expand the knowledge and evidence base on youth employment and livelihoods in Jordan and arrive at an in-depth understanding of the youth employment challenge through both qualitative and quantitative research and analysis.
• Contribute to a better design and implementation of future development-oriented and evidence-based policies, programmes and interventions targeting Jordanian and Syrian youth.

Outcomes

• In-depth labour market research and analysis on the labour market situation of young people in Jordan is produced.
• National stakeholders & policy makers benefit from evidence-based research on trends in youth employment & livelihoods

Main outputs

- Research paper 1: Skills for Green and Digital Transitions and Employment in Jordan
- Research paper 2: School-to-work transition of young women and men in Jordan
- Research paper 3: Platform Work in Jordan: Challenges and opportunities
- Research paper 4: Growth, Macroeconomic Policies and Employment: The impact of macroeconomic and trade policies on employment generation in Jordan
- Research paper 5: The Potential Role of Exports in Promoting Formalization and Decent Job Creation for Youth in Jordan

Main Activities

• Produce, using primary and secondary research tools, five research papers to assess the employment and labour market situation of young people in Jordan.
• Create a project advisory committee to facilitate collaboration across various stakeholder groups, encourage active discussion, and support the exchange of information and experiences between members.
• Organize meetings with project advisory committee to update on project progress and discuss findings and recommendations.
• Organize validation workshops, as needed, to validate research findings and results
• Publish reports and disseminate findings through in-person and online events and advocate for their consideration in future policy making.


Further information