Publications

This country brief looks at gender and youth dimensions of employment in Jordan, paying particular attention to the rural economy. Youth unemployment is an issue of major concern in Jordan, impacting on the country’s ability to achieve many of its Sustainable Development Goals.

Investment in education has not generated a smooth transition to participation in the labour market, resulting in the sub-optimal realization of youth’s contribution to Jordan’s economic prospects. Rural youth face greater difficulties in finding decent work than do those in more urban environments, and this challenge is accentuated for rural women. These factors create opportunities to promote rural employment policies that not only take into account the important roles of young women in the rural economy as farmers, wage earners, and entrepreneurs, but also policies that consider the well-being of the members of their families, including food provision and care of children and the elderly.