Guidelines banning foreign workers from certain professions ignite controversy

AMMAN — Guidelines identifying professions and handicrafts that non-Jordanians are banned from practicing have sparked controversy on social media platforms.

Some have supported their implementation, while others questioned their ability to reduce unemployment, describing the regulations as “unjust” and “discriminatory”. 

The guidelines were issued in the Official Gazette last week under Paragraph (B) of Article 13 of the Investment Environement Regulations for 2023.

The policies state that non-Jordanians are not allowed to work in barbershops or hair salons, upholstery and furniture renovation workshops, carpentry, blacksmithing, aluminium fabrication and metal processing. Producing desserts, pastries or ice cream production for direct sale is also prohibited.

Non-Jordanians are also banned from employment in embroidery and traditional clothing workshops, goldsmithing and jewellery-making workshops, ceramic and pottery production, laundry and dry cleaning, producing and bottling fresh water for direct sale as well as roasting and packing nuts for direct sale.

The guidelines exclude establishments employing over 10 workers registered at the Social Security Corporation.

Yaman Alqudah tweeted: “[decision makers] should take into consideration that there are families living off of these professions. Where should these people go? Establishing an employment quota would have been more fair.”

He noted that foreign labour is not the cause of unemployment and poverty in Jordan. 

Taha Zboun tweeted: “In light of the rise in unemployment rates and the slowdown in the economy, leading to its inability to generate enough jobs, the government had no other choice but to preserve some jobs for Jordanian workers”. 

Zeina, also a twitter user, wrote: “What about the children of Jordanian mothers [and non-Jordanian fathers]?… Are they not allowed to work?”. 

Twitter user Ayman Swaiti said that reserving some jobs for Jordanians “protects their livelihoods and reduces unemployment”. 

According to the Department of Statistics, Jordan’s unemployment rate stood at 22.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, a 0.4 per cent decrease compared with the same period in 2021. 

Speaking with The Jordan Times, director of the Phenix Centre for Economics and Informatics Studies, Ahmad Awad pointed out that these guidelines have been regularly updated by the government over the past few years within the framework of labour market organisation.

However, this hasn’t been effective in reducing unemployment among Jordanians, he noted. 

Awad identified the “right approach” as training Jordanian labourers and equipping them with in-demand skills, as well as improving working conditions in these professions to ensure their adherence to national and international labour standards. 

The regulations should “at least” differentiate between two different types of foreign workers in Jordan, Awad said. 

“Gazans who have a temporary Jordanian passport as well as the children of Jordanian mothers and non-Jordanian fathers shouldn’t be treated the same as other foreign workers who come to Jordan for work temporarily, then go back to their countries,” he said. 

Economist Hosam Ayesh said that the issue of unemployment is closely linked to economic performance. An effective solution requires significant growth and more investment, he said. 

“I even personally believe that foreign labour contributes to Jordan’s economic growth by filling certain labour market needs,” he told The Jordan Times. 

“It’s fine to prioritise the employment of citizens,” but these regulations do not guarantee that enough Jordanians will want to work in these professions, Ayesh said. This can lead the market to continue relying on foreign labour illegally to meet its needs, making foreign workers vulnerable to exploitation, he added.

Ayesh believes that attracting Jordanians to such professions requires improving working conditions, ensuring decent wages and guaranteeing workers a social security subscription and health insurance. 

Ayesh proposed that a better alternative to issuing these regulations would be a “gradual and planned” replacement of foreign labour with national manpower in these professions, or setting work quotas instead of bans.