Youth unemployment hits 46% in Jordan, double national average

On International Youth Day, the Jordanian Center for Labor Rights, also known as Workers' House, issued a stark warning about the escalating youth unemployment crisis in Jordan.

The center revealed that the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 has surged to nearly 46 percent in 2024, almost double the national average.

In a press statement released Monday, Workers' House urged the government to adopt a comprehensive national strategy to confront this deep-rooted challenge, which threatens the future and stability of the country’s largest demographic group.

- A deepening crisis -

The data presented by the center highlights that Jordan’s labor market annually absorbs around 130,000 new young entrants, primarily recent graduates. However, job opportunities that are both sustainable and productive remain severely limited.

The problem is compounded by the fact that long-term unemployment, defined as lasting more than 12 months, accounts for nearly half of all unemployed youth. Even more concerning, most young people without jobs have never worked before, indicating significant barriers to entering the workforce for the first time.

- Skills gap and precarious employment -

Workers' House points to several structural causes behind the crisis, chief among them the widening skills gap between education outcomes and the needs of the labor market. The center stressed that holding a university degree is no longer enough to secure employment without practical experience and technical or digital skills.

Furthermore, more than half of the young employed workforce works in the informal sector, leaving them without social protections or guarantees for decent work. This fragile employment situation is worsened by the recent decision to freeze the minimum wage at JD 290 for three years, a figure that fails to keep pace with the rising cost of living and hampers young workers’ ability to achieve economic and social stability.

- Path forward: A comprehensive national plan -

To address this urgent issue, Workers' House called for the implementation of a broad national plan focused on several key areas:

• Aligning education and vocational training with labor market demands, ensuring graduates have real job opportunities.

• Creating effective programs to ease the transition from education to employment, including career guidance from an early stage.

• Enhancing practical training programs to develop skills needed in growing sectors.

• Integrating young workers into the formal economy and expanding social protection coverage to shield them from precarious conditions.

With Jordan’s youth representing a critical asset for the country’s future, experts and advocates emphasize that without decisive action, the ongoing unemployment crisis could undermine social stability and economic growth for years to come.