Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

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

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of an active employment policy. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the results achieved through its implementation of the National Employment Strategy (NES) and the results in relation to the employment priorities of the Decent Work Country Programme 2012–15. The Committee notes the detailed information provided by the Government in its report concerning the set of policies designed to address employment issues at the national level and improve the standard of living by increasing employment, wages, benefits and productivity, with a focus on women, young people and people with disabilities. The Government adds that the NES is reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains abreast of changes in the labour market and that employment policies are linked to economic and social policies, given that unemployment is a socio-economic problem. The principal policies in the NES to promote full and productive employment include: development policies, such as investment policies providing exemptions to branch plants to promote balanced regional development; labour market measures to ensure better matching of labour supply and demand; and educational and training policies linked to prospective employment opportunities, including measures to increase the participation of women in the labour market. The Committee notes that, according to available World Bank statistics, Jordan’s economy remains sluggish, with economic growth declining from 2.4 per cent in 2014 to an estimated 2 per cent in 2016. Moreover, the overall unemployment rate climbed to a high of 15.6 per cent in 2016. The labour force participation rate and employment rate declined during the same period, decreasing to 36 and 30.5 per cent in 2016, respectively (compared with 36.7 and 31.9 per cent in 2015). The Government indicates that difficulties encountered in attaining the objective of full, productive and freely chosen employment include poor alignment between labour market outcomes and labour market requirements, structural unemployment, and imbalances between rates of economic growth and job creation. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the formulation and implementation of active labour market measures taken under the NES, in consultation with the social partners. It also requests the Government to indicate the manner in which employment policy measures are kept under review within the framework of an overall coordinated economic and social policy.

Article 2. Collection and use of labour market information. The Committee welcomes the detailed statistical information provided by the Government. The Government indicates that the Department of Statistics conducts a quarterly survey of employment and unemployment, using the information gathered to formulate policies aimed at regulating the national labour market. The information is based on data collected from the Population and Housing Census. The Government adds that the survey sample does not represent the non-Jordanian population, given that it is based on households living in conventional dwellings, while a large number of non-Jordanian workers live in groups or at their workplaces, which are not classified as occupied dwellings for household sampling purposes. The Government indicates that the Department of Statistics is developing a new employment and unemployment survey methodology in collaboration with the ILO. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to improve its labour market information system, including information on the manner in which the data collected is used in designing, implementing and reviewing employment policy measures. It also requests the Government to continue to supply updated data on the situation, level and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment, disaggregated by age and sex.

Education and training. The Government reports that the National Employment–Technical and Vocational Education and Training (E–TVET) Strategy 2014–20 links education, training and employment, seeking to review and assess vocational and technical training and education programmes to ensure that individuals acquire skills that can be transferred across a wide range of jobs. The E–TVET includes a component to promote inclusiveness, including by increasing the participation of women in the labour force. The Government also indicates that the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) applies the concept of demand-driven training, following a partnership approach with stakeholders, in which employers play a key role in identifying their training needs. In providing training, the VTC gives priority to young people, and most of those enrolled in training are between 16 and 30 years of age. The VTC undertakes measures to address the needs of particular social groups, including women, persons with disabilities, older workers, young people, former inmates of correctional facilities and refugees. In providing training, the VTC gives priority to young people; thus, most of those enrolled in training are between 16 and 30 years of age. The Government points out that difficulties encountered by the VTC include material and human resources challenges. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the results achieved through implementation of the E TVET, including its impact on women, young people, persons with disabilities, older workers, former inmates and refugees. It also requests the Government to provide detailed information on the manner in which the social partners and other concerned stakeholders concerned are consulted with respect to the development, implementation and coordination of education and training programmes that meet the needs of the labour market.

Specific groups of workers. The Committee notes that, according to the statistical data supplied by the Government, in 2014, women made up only about 15 per cent of the total number of Jordanians in employment (1,088,865 men and 197,823 women). The Government indicates that, to address the particularly low participation of women in the labour market, the NES includes a set of policies aimed at increasing the options available for women to enter the labour market. The NES also seeks to reduce structural youth unemployment. In addition, the Government refers to the adoption of policies on autonomous lending in remote areas and the employment of rural women. In this regard, the Committee notes the adoption of the Rural Economic Growth and Employment Project (REGEP) with the financial support of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), which aims to reduce rural poverty, vulnerability and inequality by creating employment and income-generating opportunities for the rural poor, especially women and youth. The Government indicates that the E–TVET provides for services to be put in place for workers in the informal economy, to encourage their transition to the formal economy. It also refers to measures taken to promote the employment of persons with disabilities, such as the establishment of an employment unit tasked with, among other things, providing them with the support necessary to enable them to integrate into the labour market, the publication of a guide on the employment of persons with disabilities and the organization of special courses on the rights of persons with disabilities, including on the employer’s obligation to provide reasonable accommodation. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age, on the implementation and impact of the measures taken to promote the employment of particular groups of workers, including women, young people, rural workers, persons with disabilities, older workers, former inmates, and refugees.

Article 3. Consultation with the social partners. The Government indicates that a tripartite committee has been established to serve as a forum for dialogue between representatives of the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations. It meets at least three times a year to discuss, among other issues, the extent to which employment policy and legislation are consistent with the needs of social and economic development and aligned with international labour standards. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the activities of the tripartite committee with respect to the development, implementation and review of employment policy measures and programmes and their coordination with other economic and social policies.