November 6 2024
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Lack of opportunity drives youth to emigrate — experts
Dana Al-Zyadat, Jordan news
last updated:
Oct 16,2022
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AMMAN —
Young Jordanians are emigrating in search of better job opportunities to
improve their status and the living condition of their families, analysts
contended.اضافة اعلان
The assessment came in the wake of
purportedly large numbers of Jordanians flocking to the US embassy in Amman
after it started accepting immigration applications.
According to a study by the Arab Barometer,
48 percent of Jordanians expressed a real desire to emmigrate abroad.
Psychosocial expert Ismat Hoso told Jordan
News that the lack of opportunities is pushing young Jordanians to emigrate
“for better living conditions”.
“Youth suffer from unemployment under
difficult economic conditions, and this has led to a feeling of
disappointment,” she explained.
She pointed out that there is no consistency
between education and the labor market in Jordan, “which contributes to high
unemployment rates, and pushes young people to work jobs not in their
specialization”.
Sociologist Hussain Al-Khuzaie said that the
economic, social and political conditions that Jordanians live in “are harsh
and it has become difficult for the citizen to adapt to them”.
He told Jordan News that “the problem
exacerbated when unemployment among holders of a bachelor’s degree reached 40
percent, 78 percent of whom are women”.
He stressed that the economic difficulties
are represented by low wages, “given that 25 percent of the workers earn less
than JD300 (per mounth). These people have no future and no job, or practical
stability”.
He pointed out that Jordan “is ranked sixth
among Arab countries, in terms of unemployment, and 17th globally”.
He estimated that bank loans extended away
to Jordanians stand at JD12 billion, adding that 66 percent of crimes are
“money-related, and that includes theft and fraud”.
Khuzaie said what is being offered by the
government as “solutions” is just a “shot in the arm” that is “not feasible,
nor realistic”.
Hussein Al-Mahadin, professor of Sociology
and Criminology at Mutah University, disagreed with these. He told Jordan
News that “it cannot be generalized that the main reason behind the youth’s
desire for immigration is the lack of incentives”.
He explained that there are personal
differences, “whereas each person has his/her own and specific reasons in terms
of immigrating, or staying in the country”.
He said that “we cannot say that Jordan is a
non-stimulating environment for young people”. He added: “We need to make a
real change especially that we have the required tools to overcome the most
prominent challenges.”