Unemployment Rate at 21.4% in Q1 of 2024

Amman: The Kingdom's unemployment rate decreased by 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, settling at 21.4 percent. The Department of Statistics reported on Sunday that male unemployment fell to 17.4 percent, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points. Conversely, female unemployment rose to 34.7 percent, an increase of 4 percentage points. Comparing the first quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2023, male unemployment dropped by 1.5 percentage points, while female unemployment increased by 4.9 percentage points. The report highlighted that the unemployment rate among holders of university degrees reached 25.8 percent. Overall, 61.5 percent of the unemployed had a high school diploma or higher, while 37.9 percent had qualifications below high school. Mafraq recorded the highest unemployment rate at 23.4 percent, whereas Jerash had the lowest at 18.4 percent. The report also noted that 26.8 percent of those aged 15 and over were employed, with the figure rising to 34. 2 percent for those aged 23 and over. Among male employees, 59.4 percent were aged 20-39, while the percentage for females was 59.8 percent. The economic participation rate for individuals aged 15 and over increased to 34.1 percent from 33.3 percent. For males, this rate was 53.7 percent, up from 53.3 percent. The female participation rate increased significantly to 15.5 percent from 13.7 percent, though it remains below the Arab countries' average of 20 percent. Educational attainment showed a distinct gender disparity in the labor force distribution. Among males, 56.2 percent had education levels below secondary school, compared to 8.6 percent of females. Conversely, 73 percent of the female workforce held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 27.2 percent of males. In the government sector, women constituted 22.7 percent of the workforce. Source: Jordan News Agency