AMMAN — The Jordan Economic Forum (JEF) issued a fact sheet on Saturday, titled "Job Creation in the Kingdom in 2024: Concentration and Beneficiary Groups".

 

The paper tracks net job creation, a key tool for measuring the economy's capability to absorb new entrants to the labour market and mitigate worsening unemployment rates, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

The paper noted that results of the 2024 Job Creation Survey showed that 184,926 individuals aged 15 and above had assumed new jobs, while 89,584 others left the labour market during the same period.

 

The paper indicated that a total of 96,421 new job opportunities were created in the Kingdom's public and private sectors, equivalent to around 96.4 per cent of the annual target set within the Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV).

 

JEF said that this growth reflects the extent of efforts made to enhance labour market dynamism and "effective commitment" to the vision's path to generate "sustainable" jobs that contribute to reducing unemployment and improving living standards.

 

For beneficiaries, the paper noted that the new job opportunities were distributed at a rate of 69.3 per cent for males, equivalent to 66,804 jobs, and 30.7 per cent for females, equivalent to 29,617 jobs.

 

The paper also indicated that the largest proportion of job opportunities created in 2024 was in the private sector, amounting to 75.7 per cent, reflecting "success of economic policies and reforms in enhancing job opportunities, despite the surrounding geopolitical challenge."

 

The Kingdom's public sector accounted for only 23.6 per cent of these new jobs, indicating the private sector's "essential" role in achieving growth and employment goals within the vision.

 

According to the report, "a clear trend dominated to prioritise employment of Jordanian workers in the local market, with lower percentages allocated to foreign counterparts."

 

The paper said that the majority of new jobs targeted Jordanian nationals, representing 90 per cent of the total opportunities.

 

Non-Jordanian Arab nationalities accounted for 6.2 per cent of the overall jobs, while non-Arabs received 3.7 per cent of the total posts.

 

In terms of the distribution of new job opportunities by economic activity, the paper noted that Jordan's manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade sectors accounted for the largest share, with equal percentages of 15.4 per cent each.

 

Jordan's public administration and defence sectors accounted for 14.6 per cent, the education sector’s share stood at 11.5 per cent and the health sector stood at 10.2 per cent, Petra noted.