Irbid, Sep. 11 (Petra) – Minister of Labor Khaled Bakkar announced that the ministry will launch a comprehensive labor market data system early next year to support strategic planning, evidence-based policy, and employment initiatives under the Economic Modernization Vision.
Six months after its launch, the ministry plans to complete a labor observatory to monitor performance indicators and guide investment and workforce development decisions.
Speaking at a meeting organized by the Jordan Engineers Association, Irbid branch, on Thursday, Bakkar highlighted that the ministry’s networking process between job seekers and available opportunities revealed the urgent need to enhance youth skills to match labor market demands.
To address this, the ministry is expanding vocational training programs through the Vocational Training Corporation in coordination with the private sector, which identifies the required professions and skills through sectoral skills councils integrated with the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission and the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission.
Bakkar emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships, noting that four private sector representatives will join the board of the ministry’s Vocational and Technical Education and Training Support Fund and Skills Development to strengthen collaboration and align programs with market needs.
He also reviewed initiatives aimed at job creation, including the Productive Branches Initiative, which provides investments and factories in rural and desert areas to create employment opportunities without requiring relocation to urban centers. Currently, 33 productive branches employ approximately 10,000 Jordanian men and women, with ten additional branches planned for 2026. He highlighted the National Employment Day and ongoing coordination with the Social Security Administration to track actual employment rates.
Bakkar detailed enhancements to the National Employment Program, including increased benefits for workers and establishments, reduced private sector operating costs, a 31-month extension, longer wage support of six to nine months, expanded target age group from 18–40 to 18–45 years, and support for entrepreneurs and small and micro enterprises. The program also focuses on youth skill development and sustainable employment.
He underlined that the ministry will intensify campaigns against illegal non-Jordanian workers in the coming period to protect local labor opportunities.
Deputy Head of the Engineers Syndicate, Ahmed Falahat, praised the ministry’s initiatives, citing the Training for Employment Program (2010–2020), which trained and employed hundreds of engineers across the governorates, demonstrating the impact of coordinated national efforts.
//Petra// AJ
