Why Jordan’s plan to integrate Syrian refugees into workforce has faltered
The Jordanian government’s plan to issue free work permits to Syrian refugees has not produced the desired results.
AMMAN, Jordan — In the billion dollar Jordan Compact, Amman pledged to integrate Syrian refugees into its labor force in exchange for improved access to the European market, grants and cheap loans. The compact, reached Feb. 4 at a donor conference in London, seeks to transform the Syrian refugee crisis into an opportunity, but so far, the Hashemite kingdom is struggling to meet its targets.
Allowing Syrians to work legally is one of the conditions for Jordanian access to $300-$500 million in World Bank loans at near 0%, so in April, Jordan implemented a 90-day grace period for Syrians to obtain free work permits. The government had hoped to issue 50,000 permits, and the World Bank estimated that some 100,000 Syrians might enter the formal workforce through the initiative.
The three-month period ends July 5, however, with fewer than 13,000 Syrians having obtained permits, said Labor Ministry spokesman Mohammad Khatib. “It’s not easy to convince them, no matter how much we try,” Khatib told Al-Monitor.
Two weeks before the end of the grace period, the Labor Ministry dispatched 50 teams of inspectors nationwide to crack down on workers without permits. Until the end of the grace period, Syrians caught working illegally were to be issued a warning and instructed to apply for permits, Khatib said, adding that fines against employers were effective in encouraging more Syrians to legalize their status.
