In a joint meeting held on Sunday, the Lower House Agriculture and Labor Committees, along with Minister of Labor Nadia Rawabdeh, discussed strategies to recruit expatriate workers for Jordan’s agricultural sector.
According to Jordan News Agency, there are currently 55,750 valid agricultural work permits, with the sector’s share standing at 35,000 based on 2021 figures. The Ministry of Labor restricts the transfer of non-Jordanian workers from agriculture to other sectors, ensuring that expatriates contribute effectively to agriculture. Rawabdeh also mentioned that labor and interior ministries are coordinating to control violations by non-Jordanian workers in the labor market. She affirmed that there would be no additional grace periods to rectify the status of illegal expatriate workers as done in the past. The Labor Law in Jordan, as Rawabdeh pointed out, provides equal rights for both local and non-Jordanian workers. The Social Security Corporation (SSC) mandates employers to enroll any worker in its insurance services. Additionally, the Agricultural Workers Law requires employers to subscribe non-Jordanian workers to insurance packages when employing three or more workers.