EDU-SYRIA/EDU-JORDAN Program, funded by the European Union through the Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, “Madad”, and managed by the German Jordanian University, conducted a research study entitled “Jordanian Labor Market Needs“.
This research study aims to identify the needs of the Jordanian labor market for jobs and the necessary skills and to evaluate employment options in the Jordanian labor market for Jordanian youth and Syrian refugees, in order to help match these needs with the technical skills that qualify university graduates from Jordanians and Syrian refugees to enter the labor market.
The research study is divided into two parts: desk research and field research. The desk study drew on existing Jordanian labor literature as well as statistics from the Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) and the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC). Personal interviews with employers operating in certain industries and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program alumni were conducted as part of the field research. These interviews were followed by talks with experts from each area charged with developing realistic estimates of available employment in each sector for the coming year.
The desk study found that there are high hopes for employment during the recovery period following COVID-19. The field research supported this, but it also revealed the disparity between labor market expectations and TVET center production. The field research also indicated other areas for TVET centers to address in order to achieve greater alignment with labor market demands. The findings of field research and desk research were utilized to develop a list of suggestions for future training programs. A list of suitable training programs is also provided. This initiative aims to improve existing training programs and develop new training programs for vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugees as part of the EDU-SYRIA program.