The Department of Statistics released its annual report on the unemployment rate in Jordan for 2024, highlighting the following key findings:
Unemployment:
اضافة اعلان
The unemployment rate stood at 21.4% in 2024, a decrease of 0.6 percentage points from 22.0% in 2023.
The unemployment rate for males in 2024 was 18.2%, while it was 32.9% for females.
Comparing the unemployment rates for males and females in 2024 with 2023, the rate for males decreased by 1.4 percentage points, while the rate for females increased by 2.2 percentage points.
Unemployed Individuals:
The unemployment rate for individuals holding university degrees (bachelor's degree or higher) was 25.8%, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points from 2023.
The results indicated that 59.2% of the total unemployed individuals held a high school diploma or higher, meaning that 40.2% of the unemployed had education levels below high school.
By governorate, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in the Mafraq and Ma'an governorates, both at 23.2%, while the lowest rate was in Aqaba at 17.3%.
Employed Individuals:
27.5% of the population aged 16 and older were employed.
32.3% of the population aged 23 and older were employed.
59.4% of employed males were in the 20-39 age group, while 57.9% of employed females were in the same age group.
47.3% of employed individuals had educational qualifications below high school, 9.4% had high school education, and 42.7% had higher education.
84.9% of employed individuals were salaried employees (82.5% for males and 95.4% for females).
Labor Force (Employed and Unemployed Individuals):
The adjusted economic participation rate (the proportion of the labor force relative to the population aged 15 and above) was 34.1% in 2024, compared to 33.2% in 2023, showing an increase of 0.9 percentage points.
The adjusted economic participation rate for males in 2024 was 53.4%, compared to 53.2% in 2023.
The adjusted economic participation rate for females in 2024 was 14.9%, compared to 14.0% in 2023, showing a 0.9 percentage point increase in female participation.
Differences in Labor Force Distribution by Education and Gender:
The results showed significant differences in the distribution of the labor force based on educational level and gender. 56.1% of the male labor force had education below high school, compared to 9.1% of females. Additionally, 74.0% of the female labor force held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 27.1% of the male labor force.
The labor force survey is based on a sample size of 66,240 households annually, with 16,560 households surveyed each quarter, representing both urban and rural areas across all governorates of the kingdom. Each individual is asked whether they have actively searched for work during the four weeks prior to the interview, in line with internationally recognized recommendations adopted in Jordan.
