National employment pact embodies government, employer commitment: Jordan Labour minister

AMMAN The national pact for employment represents mutual commitments between the government on one side and employers on the other, but "it is not the only solution or a magical remedy to solve unemployment", Labour Minister Nidal Bataineh said on Monday.

The minister made the remarks during a press conference held by the Labour Ministry at the Royal Cultural Centre, attended by Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) Adel Al Sharkas, Planning and International Cooperation Ministry Representative Mohammad Al Adaileh and President of the Business Development Centre (BDC) Nayef Stetieh.

The press conference was held in light of the launch of the national pact for employment on Sunday by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein.

Under the pact, the government is committed to supporting the economy, reducing production costs, increasing the private sector's competitiveness, and providing the youth with quality training and employment enablers, Bataineh said.

On the other side, employers are generally committed to providing field training to job seekers in coordination with the ministry, reporting their current and future employment needs, in addition to employing those who apply to the national employment platforms, signing a training for employment agreement.

The pact's enablers include a new form of the Khedmet Watan programme, which aims at employing applicants through a six-month national training with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and then provides the trainees with their employment options to receive further training with future employers.

The minister highlighted the recent changes to work permits for expatriate workers mainly to direct them towards the agricultural and construction sectors.

The minister also mentioned a new national job search website, which was developed through Akhtaboot.com, an established job search website.

The platform was launched on Sunday and is now available for use. It is connected to the Civil Status and Passports Department, the Social Security Corporation and the National Aid Fund to easily reach people with no income source or social security, according to Bataineh.

His Majesty King Abdullah, around three months ago, instructed the government to launch a national programme that supports youth projects, and HRH Crown Prince Hussein also voiced support for young people, Bataineh said, noting that the most important part of the pact is the Inhad (Rise) platform.

For his part, CBJ Deputy Governor Al Sharkas said that the national self-employment programme Inhad project provides technical and financial services to youth, enabling them to start their own small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The CBJ provided JD100 million to commercial banks at an interest rate of 1 per cent only. Those banks in turn will re-loan the money to youth who meet the conditions, Al Sharkas said.

The target age group ranges between 18 to 45 years, he added.

BDC president Stetieh said that the aim of Inhad is to help young people establish companies and sustain their work, while providing training on management and financial matters.

The Planning and International Cooperation Ministry's Eradah (Will) programme and UNICEF's Makani centres around the Kingdom can help young Jordanians apply for Inhad, Stetieh said, urging all those eligible to apply to the programme through www.inhad.jo.