Statistics: Unemployment down to 22% in 2023

The unemployment rate in Jordan decreased by 0.8 percentage points to 22 percent last year, according to Department of General Statistics data. The male unemployment rate was at 19.6 percent in 2023, one percentage point down from 2022, and the female rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 30.7 percent, It said in a statement Tuesday marking May Day. The figures showed that the number of insured workers with the Social Security Corporation saw a remarkable increase over the past years, rising from 366,000 male and female workers in 2000 to about 1,503,019 in 2022. The department also pointed out that average monthly wage soared from JD60 in the mid-seventies to JD211 in the mid-nineties, and to JD546 in 2021, in the public and private sectors, as the male average wage reached JD563 and females JD505. Despite the gains of Jordanian workers, It said, they still face numerous challenges in the local labor market, key among which is competition from foreign labor, whose numbers swelled dramatically, depr iving Jordanian workers of job opportunities created by various economic sectors and keeping unemployment rates almost steady despite efforts to curb it. The department also said women's economic participation remained below the aspired-for goals. Source: Jordan News Agency