AMMAN — The overall unemployment rate stood at 16.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, a slight decline from 16.3 per cent in the same period last year and down 0.3 percentage points from the second quarter, according to Department of Statistics (DoS) figures released Monday.

 

In a statement on Sunday, DoS said that male unemployment among residents, Jordanians and non-Jordanians, fell to 13.6 per cent, its lowest level since 2017, dropping 0.5 points from Q3 2024 and 0.8 points from the previous quarter. Female unemployment, however, rose to 27 per cent, up 2.3 points year-on-year and 1.1 points quarter-on-quarter.

 

Unemployment among Jordanians reached 21.4 per cent, nearly unchanged from a year earlier (21.5 per cent) and slightly higher than Q2 2025 (21.3 per cent). Male unemployment among Jordanians declined to 18 per cent, while female unemployment climbed to 33.9 per cent, an increase attributed by the DoS to new graduates entering the labour market in the first half of the year.

 

Among Jordanians aged 24 and above, unemployment stood at 17.2 per cent (13.5 per cent for males and 30.1 per cent for females).

 

The DoS added that unemployment among Jordanians has fallen by 1.7 points since Q3 2022, with male unemployment down 4.4 points since 2021.

 

For the first time, the number of Jordanian subscribers to social security reached 96,000 between January 1 and November 15, 2025, according to DoS.

 

Non-Jordanian unemployment

 

Non-Jordanian residents recorded an unemployment rate of 9.2 per cent in Q3 2025, down 0.3 points from Q2. Male unemployment fell to 8.1 per cent, while female unemployment rose to 14.7 per cent. Among residents aged 24 and above, unemployment was 7.1 per cent.

 

The DoS reported that 59.1 per cent of the unemployed held a secondary education or higher, while 40.3 per cent had less than a secondary education.

 

The employment-to-labour-force ratio reached 83.8 per cent overall, 86.4 per cent for males and 73 per cent for females. Among residents aged 23 and older, employment stood at 40.3 per cent, with 56.5 per cent of employed males and 72.5 per cent of employed females between the ages of 20 and 39.

 

Employment by education level was distributed as follows: 27.1 per cent for those with less than secondary education, 3.6 per cent for secondary education, and 51.3 per cent for those with above-secondary qualifications.

 

Paid employment accounted for 88.7 per cent of total employment (87.4 per cent for males and 95.5 per cent for females).

 

Expatriates comprised 46.4 per cent of the employed population, slightly up from 46.1 per cent in Q3 2024. Overall employment has risen by 1.9 points compared with Q3 2022.

 

Economic participation

 

The refined economic participation rate fell to 40.5 per cent, down from 41.6 per cent a year earlier. Male participation stood at 61.7 per cent, slightly below last year’s 62.2 per cent. Female participation dropped to 16.6 per cent, below both last year’s 18.2 per cent and the Arab region’s average of 18.1 per cent.

 

Educational differences were pronounced: 50.6 per cent of women in the labour force held a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 15.7 per cent of men. Meanwhile, 52.1 per cent of working men had below-secondary education, compared with 23.1 per cent of working women. Public-sector employment accounted for 21.9 per cent of jobs for both genders.

 

The labour force survey included a sample of 16,560 households across all governorates, representing both urban and rural populations.

 

The survey is conducted mid-quarter and reflects the situation for the full third quarter (July–September), asking individuals if they sought employment in the four weeks preceding the interview, in accordance with internationally adopted standards.