Ammon News - The Kingdom's unemployment rate declined to 21.5 percent during the third quarter of 2024, marking a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared to the same period in 2023, according to the Department of Statistics’ quarterly report released Tuesday.

Unemployment among males dropped to 18.3 percent, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from the third quarter of 2023, while unemployment among females rose to 33.3 percent, an increase of 1.6 percentage points over the same period. Compared to the second quarter of 2024, male unemployment decreased by 0.6 percentage points, whereas female unemployment rose by 2.3 percentage points.

The report highlighted that 58.8 percent of the unemployed hold a high school diploma or higher, while 40.8 percent have educational qualifications below the high school level.

At the governorate level, Ma’an recorded the highest unemployment rate at 24.3 percent, while Aqaba reported the lowest at 16.3 percent, reflecting a disparity of 8 percentage points.

The employment rate among individuals aged 15 and above reached 26.9 percent, while it was 32.5 percent for those aged 23 and over.
Economic participation, defined as the labor force as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and older, rose to 34.3 percent in the third quarter of 2024 from 32.6 percent in the same quarter of 2023. Male participation reached 53.6 percent, up from 52.7 percent in the previous year, while female participation increased to 14.8 percent from 13.5 percent during the same period.

Despite a rise in female economic participation, it remains below the average for Arab countries, which stands at 20 percent.

The data also revealed a significant gender disparity in educational attainment within the labor force. Among males, 56.5 percent had an educational level below high school, compared to 8.5 percent of females. Conversely, 76.2 percent of females in the workforce held a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 26.7 percent of males.

In the government sector, women accounted for 22.6 percent of the total workforce, underscoring the ongoing need for initiatives to enhance gender parity and economic inclusivity in the labor market. Petra