The Economy of Lost Time: Costs That Do Not Appear in Jordan’s Budgets
Economic debate in Jordan usually focuses on unemployment, growth, and public debt. However, there are significant economic losses that receive far less attention because they are not directly measured in official indicators. At the top of these losses is lost time. Jordan does not lose only because of unemployment, but also because of millions of unproductive hours within the labor market itself—silent losses that are continuous and costly.
Available data indicate that the number of employed workers in Jordan is around 2.6 million. If we assume—very conservatively—that each worker loses just one hour per day due to administrative procedures, waiting times, or repeated processes, the picture becomes clearer. With average productivity estimated at about 7 Jordanian dinars per hour, this lost hour translates into a loss of roughly 18.5 million dinars per day for the Jordanian economy. Over a full working year, the loss reaches approximately 4.8 billion dinars, or about 9% of GDP. This figure does not appear in public budgets, nor is it discussed as a direct economic cost. Compared with other developing economies, Jordan falls within the upper range of lost-time costs, even though the size of its economy allows for relatively rapid improvement if time is treated as an economic resource rather than an administrative detail.
From an economic perspective, time is a core factor of production, no less important than capital or labor. Countries that have succeeded in raising productivity have not done so only by creating new jobs, but by reducing the time required to complete tasks. International studies show that improving procedural efficiency can increase productivity in middle-income economies by between 1% and 3% of GDP—levels that could make a meaningful difference in an economy the size of Jordan’s.
Lost time is closely linked to economic competitiveness in Jordan. Competitiveness is not measured solely by economic size or fiscal stability, but by a country’s ability to transform its resources into actual output efficiently. When procedures are lengthy, approvals are fragmented, and decisions are delayed, institutional efficiency and business dynamism weaken—even when laws are sound on paper. This is reflected in Jordan’s ranking of 47th globally in the 2025 competitiveness index, where the main challenge lies in execution speed rather than legislation.
A closer look at daily practice in Jordan reveals that the problem is not a lack of skills or willingness to work, but an environment that consumes time. Multiple authorities, overlapping mandates, slow digital transformation, and a culture of “acceptable routine” all turn time into a permanent economic cost. This waste appears in simple daily details, such as lengthy company registration processes, multiple approvals for a single license, or delays in completing transactions that essentially require only one administrative decision.
Although the Jordanian government has launched initiatives in recent years to simplify procedures and expand digital services, time is still treated more as an administrative issue than an economic one. Often, services are moved from the counter to the screen without fully redesigning their processes or measuring completion time as a cost that affects growth and productivity. As a result, the impact of reforms remains limited, and losses stay outside real economic calculations.
In conclusion, improving competitiveness, attracting investment, and raising productivity in Jordan cannot be achieved without treating time as a national asset rather than an administrative detail. An economy that wastes time restricts its own growth through daily decisions, while an economy that manages time well expands opportunities for production, investment, and competitiveness. Time management is not merely an organizational matter—it is an economic choice that reflects the seriousness of the state in using its resources and its ability to turn potential into sustainable results.
Economic debate in Jordan usually focuses on unemployment, growth, and public debt. However, there are significant economic losses that receive far less attention because they are not directly measured in official indicators. At the top of these losses is lost time. Jordan does not lose only because of unemployment, but also because of millions of unproductive hours within the labor market itself—silent losses that are continuous and costly.
Available data indicate that the number of employed workers in Jordan is around 2.6 million. If we assume—very conservatively—that each worker loses just one hour per day due to administrative procedures, waiting times, or repeated processes, the picture becomes clearer. With average productivity estimated at about 7 Jordanian dinars per hour, this lost hour translates into a loss of roughly 18.5 million dinars per day for the Jordanian economy. Over a full working year, the loss reaches approximately 4.8 billion dinars, or about 9% of GDP. This figure does not appear in public budgets, nor is it discussed as a direct economic cost. Compared with other developing economies, Jordan falls within the upper range of lost-time costs, even though the size of its economy allows for relatively rapid improvement if time is treated as an economic resource rather than an administrative detail.
From an economic perspective, time is a core factor of production, no less important than capital or labor. Countries that have succeeded in raising productivity have not done so only by creating new jobs, but by reducing the time required to complete tasks. International studies show that improving procedural efficiency can increase productivity in middle-income economies by between 1% and 3% of GDP—levels that could make a meaningful difference in an economy the size of Jordan’s.
Lost time is closely linked to economic competitiveness in Jordan. Competitiveness is not measured solely by economic size or fiscal stability, but by a country’s ability to transform its resources into actual output efficiently. When procedures are lengthy, approvals are fragmented, and decisions are delayed, institutional efficiency and business dynamism weaken—even when laws are sound on paper. This is reflected in Jordan’s ranking of 47th globally in the 2025 competitiveness index, where the main challenge lies in execution speed rather than legislation.
A closer look at daily practice in Jordan reveals that the problem is not a lack of skills or willingness to work, but an environment that consumes time. Multiple authorities, overlapping mandates, slow digital transformation, and a culture of “acceptable routine” all turn time into a permanent economic cost. This waste appears in simple daily details, such as lengthy company registration processes, multiple approvals for a single license, or delays in completing transactions that essentially require only one administrative decision.
Although the Jordanian government has launched initiatives in recent years to simplify procedures and expand digital services, time is still treated more as an administrative issue than an economic one. Often, services are moved from the counter to the screen without fully redesigning their processes or measuring completion time as a cost that affects growth and productivity. As a result, the impact of reforms remains limited, and losses stay outside real economic calculations.
In conclusion, improving competitiveness, attracting investment, and raising productivity in Jordan cannot be achieved without treating time as a national asset rather than an administrative detail. An economy that wastes time restricts its own growth through daily decisions, while an economy that manages time well expands opportunities for production, investment, and competitiveness. Time management is not merely an organizational matter—it is an economic choice that reflects the seriousness of the state in using its resources and its ability to turn potential into sustainable results.
Economic debate in Jordan usually focuses on unemployment, growth, and public debt. However, there are significant economic losses that receive far less attention because they are not directly measured in official indicators. At the top of these losses is lost time. Jordan does not lose only because of unemployment, but also because of millions of unproductive hours within the labor market itself—silent losses that are continuous and costly.
Available data indicate that the number of employed workers in Jordan is around 2.6 million. If we assume—very conservatively—that each worker loses just one hour per day due to administrative procedures, waiting times, or repeated processes, the picture becomes clearer. With average productivity estimated at about 7 Jordanian dinars per hour, this lost hour translates into a loss of roughly 18.5 million dinars per day for the Jordanian economy. Over a full working year, the loss reaches approximately 4.8 billion dinars, or about 9% of GDP. This figure does not appear in public budgets, nor is it discussed as a direct economic cost. Compared with other developing economies, Jordan falls within the upper range of lost-time costs, even though the size of its economy allows for relatively rapid improvement if time is treated as an economic resource rather than an administrative detail.
From an economic perspective, time is a core factor of production, no less important than capital or labor. Countries that have succeeded in raising productivity have not done so only by creating new jobs, but by reducing the time required to complete tasks. International studies show that improving procedural efficiency can increase productivity in middle-income economies by between 1% and 3% of GDP—levels that could make a meaningful difference in an economy the size of Jordan’s.
Lost time is closely linked to economic competitiveness in Jordan. Competitiveness is not measured solely by economic size or fiscal stability, but by a country’s ability to transform its resources into actual output efficiently. When procedures are lengthy, approvals are fragmented, and decisions are delayed, institutional efficiency and business dynamism weaken—even when laws are sound on paper. This is reflected in Jordan’s ranking of 47th globally in the 2025 competitiveness index, where the main challenge lies in execution speed rather than legislation.
A closer look at daily practice in Jordan reveals that the problem is not a lack of skills or willingness to work, but an environment that consumes time. Multiple authorities, overlapping mandates, slow digital transformation, and a culture of “acceptable routine” all turn time into a permanent economic cost. This waste appears in simple daily details, such as lengthy company registration processes, multiple approvals for a single license, or delays in completing transactions that essentially require only one administrative decision.
Although the Jordanian government has launched initiatives in recent years to simplify procedures and expand digital services, time is still treated more as an administrative issue than an economic one. Often, services are moved from the counter to the screen without fully redesigning their processes or measuring completion time as a cost that affects growth and productivity. As a result, the impact of reforms remains limited, and losses stay outside real economic calculations.
In conclusion, improving competitiveness, attracting investment, and raising productivity in Jordan cannot be achieved without treating time as a national asset rather than an administrative detail. An economy that wastes time restricts its own growth through daily decisions, while an economy that manages time well expands opportunities for production, investment, and competitiveness. Time management is not merely an organizational matter—it is an economic choice that reflects the seriousness of the state in using its resources and its ability to turn potential into sustainable results.
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The Economy of Lost Time: Costs That Do Not Appear in Jordan’s Budgets
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