Jordan's unemployment rate drops to 21.4% in 2024, but gender gap persists

AMMAN — The unemployment rate dropped by 0.6 percentage points in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching 21.4 per cent, according to the annual unemployment report released by the Department of Statistics on Thursday.

The report indicated that the unemployment rate among males stood at 18.2 per cent in 2024, while the rate among females was significantly higher at 32.9 per cent.

Compared to 2023, the male unemployment rate saw a decrease of 1.4 percentage points, whereas the female unemployment rate increased by 2.2 percentage points.

Among university degree holders (individuals holding a bachelor's degree or higher), the unemployment rate reached 25.8 per cent, marking a 0.7 percentage point decrease from 2023.

The findings also showed that 59.2 per cent of the total unemployed individuals held a high school diploma or higher, while 40.2 per cent had educational qualifications below the high school level.

At the governorate level, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in Mafraq and Maan at 23.2 per cent, while the lowest rate was in Aqaba at 17.3 per cent.

According to the report, the employment-to-population ratio for individuals aged 16 and above stood at 27.5 per cent, while for those aged 23 and above, it was 32.3 per cent.

59.4 per cent of employed males were in the 20–39 age group, compared to 57.9 per cent of employed females.

The report also revealed that 47.3 per cent of employed individuals had educational qualifications below high school level, 9.4 per cent had a high school diploma, and 42.7 per cent had higher education qualifications. The proportion of wage earners among employed individuals was 84.9 per cent, with 82.5 per cent among males and 95.4 per cent among females.

The labour force as a percentage of the population aged 15 and above was 34.1 per cent in 2024, compared to 33.2 per cent in 2023, reflecting a 0.9 percentage point increase.

The male participation rate slightly rose from 53.2 per cent in 2023 to 53.4 per cent in 2024, while the female participation rate increased from 14 per cent in 2023 to 14.9 per cent in 2024. The report noted that women's economic participation rate in Arab countries averages around 19.2 per cent.

The findings highlighted significant differences in labour force distribution based on education level and gender.

Among males, 56.1 per cent of the workforce had education levels below high school, compared to 9.1 per cent among females. Meanwhile, 74 per cent of the female workforce held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 27.1 per cent among males.