Skip to main content

Foreign, local workers at odds in Jordan's labor market

The unemployment rate among Jordanians is increasing, as Syrian refugees in Jordan are willing to work for longer hours and lower wages.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY KAMAL TAHA
Men smoke water pipes at a cafe in the Jordanian capital Amman on February 3, 2014. A ban on water pipes in restaurants and cafes has caused uproar in Jordan where $1 billion worth of tobacco goes up in smoke every year.  Under a decision based on a 2008 law that was not previously enforced, the government has announced that by the end of 2014 the licences of more than 5,000 establishments that serve hookahs will be revoked. AFP PHOTO/KHALIL MAZRAAWI        (Photo credit s

As the civil war drags on in their country, Syrian refugees in Jordan are left jobless or exploited in increasingly unwelcoming host communities across the kingdom.

Munir, who didn’t want his real name to be published, is a 20-year-old refugee from the southern Syrian city of Daraa who crossed into Jordan in 2012, where he has worked illegally ever since.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.