12.9% the unemployment rate during  2009

The Department of Statistics issued the annual report of Employment and Unemployment Rate which was carried out during 2009. The following are the main results of this survey.

Unemployment:

·   The results show that the unemployment rate has reached 12.9% during 2009 (10.3% for males compared with 24.0% for females).

·   The Unemployment Rate has slightly increased above its level of 2008, where the rate was then 12.7%.

·     According to sex,    The Unemployment Rate for 2008 has increased by 2% for males, where the rate was then 10.1%. Meanwhile the rate decreased by 1.6% in 2009 compared to 2008, where the rate in 2008 was 24.4%.  

The Quarterly & Yearly Unemployment Rates for 2006-2009

Characteristics of the Unemployed:

·          The Survey results show a rise of unemployment rate between the university degree holders (Bachelor degree and higher) by 16.2% compared with the other educational levels (up by 4.5% compared to same quarter of 2008).

·         The results also show that 47.2% of the unemployed are less than secondary school qualification.

·       52.8 % of the unemployed were higher secondary certificate holders and higher.

·          Male unemployed percentage of bachelor holders and higher was (19%) and (54%) for females which is varied according to educational level and sex.

·        The lowest rate of Unemployment were in Amman , where the rate reached 9.7% and 11.2% respectively, meanwhile Ma'an governorate has the highest Unemployment rate  for 2008 and 2009 , where the rate reached to 12% and 17.6% respectively which is varied between the governorates  for 2008 and 2009.

·         The highest recorded rate of unemployment is in the age group 15-19 and 20-24 years at 31.2% and 25.7% respectively.

Employed:

·         The results show that about 63% and 75% of employed males and females are concentrated in the age group 20-39 years.

·         About half of the employed have less than secondary qualifications, 13.2% with secondary and 35% are higher than secondary level.

·         19% of the employed males are engaged in elementary occupations, while the percentage of workers in crafts and related trades and the professions constitute about 16%and 18 for each respectively.

·         among the employed females, 48% were professionals and 22% were technicians and associate professionals.

·        19% of the employed work in the sector of public administration, defense and social security followed by whole sale and retail trade sector at about 16%.

·      The results show that 22% of the male employed work in the sector of public administration and defense and 18% in the whole sale and retail trade sector. Mean while the female workers were in the education sector and 15% in the health sector and social work.   

·          The results also show that about 83% of the employed were paid employees (81%, for males compared with 95% for females).

Characteristics of the Labor Force: (Employed & Unemployed)

·        The results show a clear variation between males and females with regard to educational level. It was found that about 57.5% of the total male labor force has less than secondary educational qualifications compared to 16% for females. The results indicate also that 50% of the total labor force among females is of bachelor level or higher, compared with 19% for males.

·        The results show that the Crude Economic Activity Rate (i.e. labor force attributed to the total population) reached 25.5%.

·      The Refined Economic Participation Rate (the labor force attributed to the population 15 years and over) was about 64.8% for males against 15% for females compared with 64% for males and 14.2% for females in 2008.

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

Figure 1: Unemployment Rate for 2000-2009

Fig.2 - Trends of Unemployment Rates by Sex for (2000-2009)