Official statistics indicate a significant rise in the general unemployment rate in Jordan, climbing from 11.9% in 2014 to 21.4% in 2024.
Female unemployment jumped from 20.7% to 32.9% during the same period, while male unemployment rose from 10.1% to 18.2%.

Solidarity Is Global Institute-JO (SIGI) points out that the Jordanian labor market has seen a sharp rise in unemployment rates over the past decade. While the overall rate increased from 11.9% in 2014 to 21.4% in 2024, the increase was more severe for women, whose unemployment rate surged from 20.7% to 32.9%. In comparison, male unemployment rose from 10.1% to 18.2%.

These figures confirm that women are the most adversely affected by economic changes. While the rising unemployment among men is also alarming, women continue to face multiple barriers in accessing and maintaining employment, despite the implementation of various national strategies over the past decade aimed at promoting women's economic empowerment.

Economic Participation: Modest Improvement with Diverging Trends

In 2024, the overall economic participation rate stood at 34.1%, down from 36.4% in 2014. Despite this general decline, the data reveals two diverging trends:

• Female participation increased from 12.6% in 2014 to 14.9% in 2024 — a gain of 2.3 percentage points — despite persistently high unemployment.

• Male participation decreased significantly from 59.7% to 53.4% — a drop of 6.3 points.

While women’s economic participation remains low, the improvement signals positive developments, such as legislative reforms in labor laws. These changes offer a basis for expanding women’s participation, provided institutional, social, and cultural barriers are addressed and removed.

A Decade of Policies… But Challenges Persist

Over the past ten years, the Jordanian government has adopted a series of national strategies for women’s economic empowerment, social protection, and flexible work arrangements. Despite some positive progress, the actual impact of these policies remains limited.

The main structural barriers hindering women’s economic participation include:

• Limited availability of decent and safe job opportunities

• Early withdrawal of women from the labor market

• Poor support services such as accessible public transportation

• Lack of protection from economic violence and workplace harassment

• Persistent gender stereotypes about women’s societal roles

Toward Equality and Justice-Based Policies

These indicators highlight the urgent need to shift from traditional policies to bolder, more comprehensive interventions, grounded in gender-sensitive analysis. Key policy recommendations include:

• Tax and operational incentives for the private sector to employ women

• Opening non-traditional career paths for women

• Strengthening labor protections for women in the informal sector

• Investing in technical and vocational training for women, especially in underserved areas

• Promoting public awareness of women’s economic roles through media and education

Women's Economic Empowerment: A National Duty

SIGI stresses that the current unemployment and economic participation figures reflect a harsh reality—women remain in a fragile position in the labor market. True economic empowerment can only be achieved through deep, integrated policies that address the root causes of gender inequality.

Empowering Jordanian women economically is not a luxury or elite demand—it is a strategic necessity to support national development, justice, and stability. The time has come to transform promises into commitments, and policies into tangible results that positively impact the lives of women, families, and society as a whole.

This statement is part of the “Safe Pathways in the World of Work” project implemented by Solidarity Is Global Institute-JO (SIGI) and funded by the African Development Fund.

African Women's Development Fund