AMMAN — When
it was launched in April this year, the government said that the
National Employment Program (NEP) 2022–2023 would encourage the private sector to
provide jobs to Jordanians and reduce the unemployment rate, which is one of
the biggest challenges facing the national economy, especially after the
COVID-19 pandemic.
اضافة اعلان
The government
had allocated JD80 million for the implementation of the program in its 2022
budget, hoping to create jobs for 60,000 youths over the course of the year.
The program subsidizes wages for six months at a value of JD150 per month
through annual contracts with the private sector.
According to
Ministry of Labor figures, 33,220 vacancies were identified, of which 3,838
were allocated for the month of July, 4,000 for August, and 18,324 for the
period till the end of the current year.
Head of the
Workers’ House Hamada Abu Nijmeh said that the program “will not solve or
reduce the unemployment problem”.
He told
Jordan
News that the program links employers with workers, but “does not
contribute to solving the unemployment crisis in the long run”.
He added that
such a program should be part of the normal mission of any government and “not
a temporary program”.
While the
program may contribute to creating some jobs, “it will not be a solution, given
the significant number of new graduates who join the labor market annually,”
Abu Nijmeh said.
He called for
creating a database that benefits employers, workers, different sectors, and
policies and said that it is necessary to conduct in-depth studies of each
sector’s current and future needs.
Abu Nijmeh urged
the government to change its approach in dealing with unemployment, “through
vocational training and education, starting at school and ending with guidance
in choosing a specialization and then a job”.
Head of the
General Federation of
Jordanian Trade Unions Mazen Al-Maaytah told
Jordan
News that the employment program faces great obstacles, “as the work
opportunities available are limited”.
He added that “we
are going through a stage of economic recovery, but the modest growth rate
makes addressing unemployment through this program unsatisfactory”.
Maaytah called
for coordinating and intensifying efforts of social partners, employers, workers and the government,
thus “bridging the gaps and finding creative solutions to reducing the
unemployment rate”.
He also stressed
that an appropriate investment climate must be created.
“The Jordanian
market should be attractive to investors, and, accordingly, it is necessary to
facilitate administrative decisions related to granting licenses, and reforming
tax and customs regulations, so as to attract new investments that will create
new job opportunities,” he said.
Ahmad Awad, head
of the Jordan Labor Watch, told
Jordan News that the employment program
“does not generate job opportunities”.
He stressed that
the funds allocated to this program “must be spent on establishing and managing
projects that would create many job opportunities”.
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