Amman: Minister of Labor, Nadia Rawabdeh, affirmed the unwavering support and attention given by His Majesty King Abdullah II to Jordanian workers, recognizing their pivotal role in the country’s development, construction, and modernization ventures.
Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on the occasion of His Majesty the King’s silver jubilee, marking 25 years since assuming constitutional powers, Rawabdeh highlighted King Abdullah II’s dedicated efforts in providing employment opportunities for Jordanians.
The King’s focus has been on training and skill development initiatives aimed at reducing unemployment by preparing thousands of Jordanian youth for the labor market, honing their capabilities, nurturing their potential, and instilling confidence.
The Minister emphasized that His Majesty has launched various initiatives to empower the youth’s economic, social, and political contributions.
These initiatives encompass investing in education, training, and qualification, and encouraging critical thi
nking, analytical skills, creativity, and excellence.
The aim is to foster an environment conducive to their active participation in nation-building, strengthen their sense of national identity, and enable them to play a significant role in all aspects of life.
Furthermore, she pointed out that King Abdullah has consistently urged officials to closely monitor the government’s employment plans, combat unemployment, and create sustainable job opportunities.
The collaboration between the public and private sectors, along with well-defined and periodically evaluated implementation plans, has been emphasized to achieve these objectives.
The Minister further highlighted that labor-related legislation, including the Labor Law and its associated regulations and instructions, has undergone numerous amendments during King Abdullah II’s reign.
These amendments aim to develop and regulate the labor market in alignment with best practices, ensuring fairness, equal opportunities, and the utilization of skilled and pro
ductive Jordanian labor.
Furthermore, Rawabdeh mentioned the Ministry’s endeavors to promote entrepreneurship, facilitate talent export, and establish comprehensive standards, policies, and effective regulatory tools.
These efforts are undertaken through a participatory approach involving all stakeholders, resulting in an efficient labor market with highly skilled and productive national workers.
The Ministry reinforces its supervisory role to safeguard the rights of workers in the private sector, while attracting talent to a stable and secure work environment.
Additionally, she highlighted the Economic Modernization Vision initiated under royal directives, aiming to integrate over one million young men and women into the labor market.
National Employment Program (Tashgeel), launched in 2022, aims to create job prospects for Jordanian men and women within the private sector, in line with the government’s objective of empowering Jordanians between the ages of 18 and 40.
The program also aims to stimulate
the private sector to provide employment across all sectors and economic activities in every governorate of the Kingdom.
Rawabdeh also indicated that ongoing efforts are being made to restructure and extend the program until 2025.
Regarding vocational and technical education and training, Rawabdeh underscored the significant attention given by His Majesty King Abdullah II to this sector since assuming constitutional powers.
The King recognizes the pivotal role of vocational and technical education in equipping young people with the necessary skills to meet the labor market’s demands for skilled and qualified Jordanian workers.
The Minister also mentioned the national strategy for education and vocational training for 2023-2027, approved by the Council of Ministers in 2023.
This strategy aligns with the economic modernization vision, the national strategy for human resources, and the vocational education strategy.
The primary objective is to enhance the sector’s efficiency and effectiveness through three
key areas: improving governance and institutional development, enhancing the quality and relevance of vocational and technical education and training, and facilitating the transition into the workforce.
Rawabdeh emphasized that the vocational and technical training system has been strengthened through the establishment of the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission (TVSDC) in 2019.
This TVSDC incorporates recommendations from the National Strategy for Human Resources Development 2016-2025, reflecting the King’s vision for an integrated and well-defined strategy to develop human resources. It provides a framework for collaboration among relevant sectors in education, aligning with the economic vision for the coming years.
The Minister highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to enhancing partnerships with the private sector. To achieve this, the Sectorial Skills Councils Bylaw for 2023 have been issued.
These councils, composed of experts representing employers, workers, and the government in s
pecific professional sectors, play an advisory role, she further said.
They propose general policies for each sector, identify priority skills and training needs based on labor market requirements, and establish technical committees to determine the necessary skills and competencies for each profession.
The councils ensure accurate and objective assessment of real market requirements, in addition to designing essential training programs.
Rawabdeh emphasized the crucial role played by the private sector as the primary employer of Jordanian labor. Recognizing the sector’s ability to identify the reasons behind the gap between labor supply and demand.
Source: Jordan News Agency