Jordan's unemployment rate declines slightly to 21.4% in 2024

The report showed that the unemployment rate among males stood at 18.2 percent, while the rate for females was significantly higher at 32.9 percent. Compared to 2023, male unemployment decreased by 1.4 percentage points, whereas female unemployment rose by 2.2 percentage points.

Among university graduates, unemployment reached 25.8 percent, marking a decrease of 0.7 percentage points from the previous year. The data also revealed that 59.2 percent of the unemployed hold at least a high school diploma, while 40.2 percent have lower educational qualifications.

At the governorate level, Mafraq and Ma'an recorded the highest unemployment rates at 23.2 percent, while Aqaba had the lowest at 17.3 percent.

The percentage of employed individuals out of the total population aged 16 and above was 27.5 percent, rising to 32.3 percent for those aged 23 and above. Among working males, 59.4 percent were between 20 and 39 years old, while the percentage for females stood at 57.9 percent.

Regarding educational qualifications, 47.3 percent of workers had not completed secondary school, 9.4 percent held a secondary school certificate, and 42.7 percent had higher education degrees. The majority of workers (84.9 percent) were paid employees, with 82.5 percent among males and 95.4 percent among females.

The report also highlighted an increase in the revised economic participation rate, which measures the labor force as a percentage of the population aged 15 and above. It reached 34.1 percent in 2024, up from 33.2 percent in 2023, reflecting a 0.9 percentage-point increase.

For males, the economic participation rate rose slightly from 53.2 percent in 2023 to 53.4 percent in 2024. The rate for females increased more noticeably, reaching 14.9 percent compared to 14 percent the previous year. However, Jordan's female participation rate remains below the Arab region's average of 19.2 percent.

A notable gender gap was observed in education levels within the labor force. Among males, 56.1 percent had not completed secondary education, compared to only 9.1 percent of females. Meanwhile, 74 percent of the female workforce held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to just 27.1 percent of males.

As it was reported, imports via Jordan's Aqaba Port surged by 41.5% in early 2025.