13% the unemployment rate during  the fourth quarter of 2007

The result of the Employment and Unemployment Survey, which was carried out by the Department of Statistics during November 2007, shows that the unemployment rate has reached 13 % (10.1 % for males against 26.0 % for females). The results also show non-existence of variation in the rate as compared with the same quarter compared of 2006, where the rate was then 13%.

       The results of the Survey for the fourth quarter show that the rate in the age groups 15-19 and 20-24 years was high at about 34.1 % and 25.3 % respectively as compared to other age groups. It was high among those who have bachelor degree and higher by (14.6%).

       The results show that about 76.4 % of the unemployed males are concentrated in the age group 20-39 years. In addition, 1 % of the unemployed are illiterate, and 45.1 % have less than secondary qualifications (61.8 % for males compared with 15.7 % for females), while about 45.3 % of unemployed females were bachelor degree holders and higher.

       As for the employed, the results show that about 65.5 % are male workers against 76 % for females and are concentrated in the age group 20-39 years. About 48.1 % of the employed have less than secondary qualifications, 14.1 % secondary level and 36.4 % are higher than secondary level.

       21.4 % of the employed males work in elementary occupations, while the proportion of   professional and specialized workers was about 16.6 % and 17.5 % respectively.

48.8% of female workers were in the specialists’ category and 23.5 % were in the professionals and specialist assistants’ category.

       As for the distribution of the employed by economic activity, the results show that 19% of the total employed work in the sector of public administration, defense and social security, followed by workers in the wholesale and retail trade sector at about 17.2 %. The rate for males has reached 21.3 % and 19.3 % in the sector of public administration, defense and trade respectively. It was noticed that 40.7 % of employed females were employed in the education sector and 14.4 % in the health sector and social work. The results also show that about 84.8 % of the employed were wage earners (83 % for males against 95.1 % for females).

       The results also show that the crude rate of economic participation (i.e. labor force attributed to the total population) is still low in Jordan (25.4 %). The revised economic participation rate (the labor force attributed to the population 15 years and over) was about 65 % for males against 15 % for females.

       As for the characteristics of the Jordanian labor force, the results show

a clear variation between males and females with regard to educational level. It was found that about 54.8 % of the total male labor force has less than secondary educational qualification compared to 15.8 % for females. The results indicate that 48.2 % of the total labor force among females has bachelor level or higher, compared with 20.2 % for males.

       It should be noted that the Survey included a total sample size of about 13 thousand households distributed all the governorates of the Kingdom, and is representative on the Kingdom, urban, rural, regions and governorate level.

Figure (1) shows the Trends of Unemployment Rates by Sex for selected years

Note: the Annual Rate for 2004 was estimated based on the average unemployment rates for 2003 and 2004, because the Survey was carried out for one time only during May 2004 and its data are not representative on the annual level.

 Figure (2) shows the Unemployment Rates for the fourth quarter and the Annual Rate for selected years.