Unemployment rates surged in late 2021, standing at 24.1 per cent, with about 435,000 Jordanians jobless, compared to 324,000 in the same period of 2019, according to figures by an NGO, which were released to mark Labour Day.
In a post-crisis report on the "unprecedented" impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the national economy and the various sectors, Workers' House, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that seeks to improve working conditions, said endeavours are needed in the next stage to boost the capacities of social safety nets, increase their allocations and direct their efforts to vulnerable groups.
It recommended that safety nets continue urgent cash and in-kind assistance to low-income households, in addition to expanding health insurance coverage for all and reducing the value of social security subscription.
At the level of social policies, the report called for devising poverty alleviation policies and improving the social conditions of families with working children, who are compelled to join the labour market due to the tough conditions of their families, pointing out that child labour significantly increased last year.