Hamadeh Abu Nejmeh, Director of the Workers' House and a labor rights lawyer, says Jordan's unemployment crisis extends far beyond a shortage of jobs, arguing that it reflects deeper structural challenges, including the uneven distribution of investment, the mismatch between education and labor market needs, weak infrastructure in the governorates, and outdated legislation that has failed to keep pace with changes in the world of work.

Speaking on Radio Al-Balad's Youth Voice program, Abu Nejmeh said governorates with the highest unemployment rates, such as Ajloun, primarily suffer from a lack of economic projects capable of creating sustainable employment opportunities. He stressed that the problem is not unique to one governorate, but affects many regions that receive significantly less investment than Amman, Irbid and Zarqa.

He attributed the concentration of investment in Jordan's three largest governorates to their relatively well-developed infrastructure, including transportation networks, public services and an investment-friendly environment, factors that encourage investors to overlook other areas despite their urgent need for productive projects.

Abu Nejmeh called for a national strategy to redistribute investment geographically by offering meaningful incentives that encourage businesses to establish projects across the governorates, helping achieve more balanced development while generating stable employment for local communities.

He noted that the limited availability of jobs outside the main cities forces many young Jordanians to migrate internally to Amman or Irbid in search of work, a move that is considerably more difficult for women, contributing to higher female unemployment rates in many parts of the country.

He added that while Jordan's Constitution does not require the state to provide a job for every citizen directly, it does obligate the government to promote and regulate investment in ways that create employment opportunities. According to Abu Nejmeh, greater efforts are still needed, particularly in governorates where the investment climate remains weak.

Education and Labor Market Out of Sync

Abu Nejmeh pointed to a growing disconnect between education outcomes and labor market demands, saying many students continue to enroll in saturated or low-demand academic majors, while the private sector increasingly requires technical, vocational and technology-related skills.

He noted that most female students continue to concentrate in three main fields, education, healthcare and administrative studies, sectors where employment opportunities have become increasingly limited, while other industries face shortages of qualified workers.

Jordan's economy, he said, has a greater need for technicians, skilled tradespeople and specialists in technology and renewable energy than for graduates in some humanities disciplines.

He also highlighted the country's low enrollment in vocational education, which stands at around 12 percent, compared with between 70 and 75 percent in many industrialized nations.

According to Abu Nejmeh, this skills mismatch has led employers to rely heavily on migrant workers to fill technical and vocational positions despite the large number of unemployed Jordanians.

Rethinking Higher Education Policies

Abu Nejmeh acknowledged recent efforts to reduce enrollment in oversupplied university majors but described them as limited, noting that universities continue to graduate large numbers of students in fields already experiencing significant surpluses, including some medical and engineering specialties.

He stressed that higher education in Jordan is closely tied to employment prospects rather than being pursued solely for academic or cultural enrichment, arguing that universities should align their academic programs more closely with labor market demand.

He also called for strengthening career guidance from the earliest stages of education so students and their families receive accurate information that enables them to make informed academic and career choices instead of relying on traditional perceptions or personal preferences.

He added that career guidance remains largely absent despite being a shared responsibility among several government institutions, including the Ministries of Education and Labor, as well as vocational training agencies.

Stronger Links Between Universities and Employers

Abu Nejmeh said a limited number of Jordanian universities have successfully established partnerships with private sector companies that provide students with practical training during their studies, allowing many graduates to secure employment immediately, and in some cases even before graduation.

Expanding such partnerships, he said, would shorten graduates' transition into the workforce while helping employers recruit skilled, job-ready professionals.

Employment Discrimination Requires Legislative Reform

Commenting on reports that some residents of Zarqa face discrimination in hiring because of their place of residence, Abu Nejmeh said Jordan's Labor Law prohibits wage discrimination between men and women but does not explicitly ban discrimination in recruitment or hiring practices, describing this as a legislative gap.

He explained that international labor standards prohibit discrimination throughout the entire employment process, from job advertisements and recruitment to promotions, training and termination, and called for Jordanian legislation to be amended accordingly.

Rejecting a job applicant solely because of where they live, he said, constitutes discrimination that should be prohibited. However, he distinguished such cases from situations where employers make decisions based on practical considerations such as commuting distance or transportation challenges.

Transportation Remains a Barrier to Employment

Abu Nejmeh stressed that public transportation plays a critical role in improving employment opportunities, citing Jordanian studies showing that transportation problems affect access to jobs by more than 45 percent, either by preventing job seekers from reaching workplaces or contributing to job loss.

He added that expanding transportation projects between governorates, similar to the Amman-Zarqa Bus Rapid Transit system, could significantly broaden employment opportunities for young people across the Kingdom.

Gig Workers Need Legal Protection

Addressing the growing number of Jordanians working through ride-hailing platforms, Abu Nejmeh said these digital platforms have created employment opportunities for thousands of young people unable to find work in their fields of study, demonstrating that Jordanian youth are willing to work in different occupations when suitable opportunities exist.

However, he argued that the sector suffers from a major legal gap because Jordanian legislation does not recognize platform workers as employees, leaving them without the protections provided under the Labor Law or Social Security Law.

He revealed that the International Labour Conference, held in Geneva last June with Jordan's participation, adopted a new international convention recognizing platform workers as employees who should be covered by labor legislation and social security systems.

Abu Nejmeh urged Jordan to keep pace with these international developments by introducing legislative reforms that guarantee the rights of platform workers, particularly as the digital economy and app-based work continue to expand.

He concluded by saying that the future of work will increasingly revolve around digital platforms, technology and remote employment, making it imperative for Jordan to modernize its labor legislation to ensure that growing segments of the workforce are not left without legal and social protection.