New majors not a solution for youth unemployment — academics

AMMAN — Solving the unemployment problem among university graduates requires supportive policies and long-term planning; introducing new majors is not the solution, according to academics.

The introduction of new majors in Jordan’s public and private universities is a positive step. However those “in-demand” majors will become stagnant after a few years, and eventually will not lower unemployment among fresh graduates, Hussein Khozahe, a professor at a Jordanian university, told The Jordan Times on Monday.

He added that “cutting certain study programmes and majors in universities will also not solve graduate unemployment. Unemployability is a big issue that was supposed to be solved long time ago.”

According to the Department of Statistics (DoS), almost 78 per cent of females that hold higher education degrees are unemployed. Forty per cent of the total unemployed population in Jordan hold higher education degrees, according to the DoS.

Further, Khozahe doubts that halting some academic programmes would make any positive change, and instead advised that universities should align educational and workforce needs.

He noted that a significant number of young Jordanians work in professions that are seemingly unrelated to their majors, and in some cases work in jobs that do not require a degree at all.

Duaa Eid, an associate professor, told The Jordan Times that new approaches should be taken in higher education to modernise teaching plans and keep pace with new technologies and research.

She also said that “young people should also be encouraged to choose vocational education, which is in demand as well in the local market.”

A 2021 policy brief produced by UNICEF revealed that local labour market opportunities often do not meet young people’s aspirations. Forty-five per cent of working young people are employed in positions that require less education than they completed.

Additionally, it added that the biggest barrier limiting young people’s economic engagement in Jordan is weak labour demand and sluggish job creation.