Unemployment rate declines to 21.4% in Q4 2023 — DoS

AMMAN — The Department of Statistics (DoS) on Thursday reported a decrease in the Kingdom’s unemployment rate by 0.9 percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2023, bringing it down to 21.4 per cent, compared with the third quarter of the same year.

The DoS revealed that the unemployment rate for males stood at 18.9 per cent, while it was significantly higher for females at 29.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023. 

The figures also indicate a drop in the joblessness rate by 1.7 percentage points for men and 1.9 percentage points for women compared with the fourth quarter of 2022, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

When comparing the unemployment rate in the last quarter of 2023 with the previous quarter, there was a decrease of 0.9 percentage points for men and a more substantial decrease of 1.9 percentage points for women, DOS said.

The DoS also highlighted that the unemployment rate among those holding a bachelor’s degree or higher was 25.1 per cent. In comparison, 56.6 per cent of the overall unemployed population holds secondary or higher education degrees and 42.8 per cent possess educational qualifications lower than secondary school.

At the governorate level, Mafraq recorded the highest unemployment rate at 24.8 per cent, while  Aqaba boasted the lowest rate at 17.7 per cent.