Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Jordan (Ratification: 2003)

Article 2 of the Convention. National policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. The Committee welcomes the information on legislative developments during the reporting period, including the adoption of Law No. 20 of 2017 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This law represents a foundational step towards reinforcing the rights of persons with disabilities in the labour market, indicating that no person may be excluded from employment or from training on the basis of, or because of, disability (section 25(a)). The law introduces a quota system and calls for the establishment of the Equal Opportunities Committee, composed of Government, Employer and Worker representatives, and persons with disabilities. The Committee notes from section 14(c) of Law No. 20 that the Equal Opportunities Committee assumes functions that include receiving complaints related to discrimination on the basis of, or because of, disability in the field of employment and settling such complaints with the relevant authorities. The Government indicates that 185 complaints have been received and settled through the Equal Opportunities Committee during 2021–22. It also indicates that it is developing an electronic system for work-related complaints, in which complaints are received and tracked. Furthermore, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Institute of Public Administration to implement a training and coaching project for persons with disabilities over the 2021–22 period, involving 175 participants. The Committee notes from a ILO publication on workers with disabilities in Jordan’s garment sector that, while unemployment rates are already particularly high (reaching 22.6 per cent in mid-2022), persons with disabilities are disproportionately represented both among Jordan’s unemployed and the NEET (not in employment, education or training) populations – as of 2015, approximately 72.2 per cent of persons with disabilities in Jordan were not employed (66 per cent not actively seeking employment, to 6.2 per cent looking for and applying to jobs). With regard to the implementation of Law No. 20 of 2017 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the measures taken to improve the integration of persons with disabilities into the labour market, including details on compliance with the quota system. Noting that no statistics on the employment rate of persons with disabilities were included in the report, the Committee requests the Government to provide updated statistics, disaggregated by sex and age, on their employment rate in both the public and private sectors.

Article 3. Access to the open labour market. The Committee notes the Government’s initiatives to promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the open labour market, including establishing networks with public and private institutions and raising awareness of partners regarding the rights of persons with disabilities in work environments. During 2022–23, 25 awareness workshops were organized, targeting persons with disabilities in the government and private sectors, aiming to raise awareness on human rights methodology, labour law, and social security law. These workshops also engaged employers and human resources professionals to foster an inclusive and accessible work culture. As part of these efforts, a private sector network led to the employment of 38 persons with disabilities in various fields, such as education, communications, technology, manufacturing, the military, and banking. In the government sector, 35 persons with disabilities were hired for roles matching their qualifications. Furthermore, the Central Employment Directorate at the Ministry of Labour employed 39 individuals with disabilities, while the Productive Branches Unit facilitated the placement of 297 more. The Government actively encourages private entities to hire persons with disabilities by promoting success stories through media and social media platforms, setting positive examples for other institutions and organizations. In addition to awareness-raising measures, the Committee notes that the Government intends to increase inspection visits and that 1,783 inspection visits were conducted in the first seven months of 2023, resulting in 15 violations and 49 warnings issued. It also notes that a collaborative agreement was signed between the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to implement a project aligning ESCWA’s Skills Monitoring with the Higher Council’s database of jobseekers with disabilities. This project aims to develop an electronic database for individuals with disabilities who are seeking employment and linking it with the ESCWA monitoring platform, while assessing the skills gaps between the skills of persons with disabilities and those required in the labour market in order to facilitate training programmes. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the measures taken to enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the open labour market, including measures addressing skills gaps. It also requests the Government to provide updated information on the number of violations and warnings issued by the inspection service regarding the employment of persons with disabilities.

Article 5. Consultation with the social partners and with organizations representing persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provided technical support during 2022 to improve social and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities in Amman, Mafraq and Zarqa. The project aimed to strengthen the capacity of national partners regarding employment issues for persons with disabilities and implement mobilization activities towards public bodies and institutions in order to promote economic and labour rights of persons with disabilities, vocational training and job integration. Training programmes were held for 15 participants from civil organizations working in the field of disability, enhancing planning and advocating for rights awareness. Additionally, the Government indicates that workers' organizations are encouraged to adapt part of their services to support members with disabilities. The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information on the manner in which representative organizations of employers and workers and representative organizations of persons with disabilities are consulted on the implementation and review of the national policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. It also requests that the Government provide information on the outcome of such consultations.

Article 7. Services accessible to persons with disabilities. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the impact of the measures taken to make employment services, vocational guidance and vocational training available to persons with disabilities. The Committee notes from the report that various measures were taken, including an agreement with the Vocational Training Corporation during 2019–22 to become inclusive and ready to receive students with disabilities. Other measures included exempting trainees with disabilities from training allowances and fees, training 15 Vocational Training Corporation employees on human rights methodology and sign language, and adapting training materials to accessible formats. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the measures taken to make employment services, vocational guidance and vocational training available to persons with disabilities. It also requests the Government to include detailed information, including statistics, indicating how those services have contributed to enable persons with disabilities to secure, retain and advance in employment.