GENEVA - Jordan has made progress over the past decade in the fight against unemployment. Compared to average joblessness of 18.9% in the Middle East and North Africa, the ILO* says average unemployment in Jordan in 2000 to 2003 was 14.6%, down from 16.9% in 1993 to 1995.
But as is the case in many other countries, unemployment rates in Jordan remain considerably higher for females than for males, leading to a "gender unemployment gap." Whilst work remains to be done, the good news is that this gap has narrowed since the early 1990s.
In particular, the Committee requested the Government to supply its observations on recent allegations made by the complainants, concerning continuing harassment, anti-union discrimination and interference in the internal affairs of trade unions. The chairman of the Committee, Professor Paul van der Heijden, met with the deputy Minister for Labour of Belarus in respect of the matters raised in this case.
Jordan's rapidly growing information technology (IT) sector is an area of promise.On a policy level, there has been a noticeable increase in government support for the sector, and through foreign investment, international organizations and private firms are showing considerable interest.At the same time, there is greater emphasis placed on gender issues in the country, with the IT sector a key area of attention. The ILO report Time for equality at work calls jobs in this sector a chance for "equal treatment and equal opportunity for women." This may well prove the case for Jordan.
Females comprise an estimated 30% of the total workforce in Jordan's IT sector, despite accounting for only 16% of total employment in the country. A study conducted in 2002 by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) indicates that 13% of women employed in the IT private sector are managers. Earlier figures from Jordan's official National Information Center indicate that women make up 22 per cent of programmers.
A recent study by the ILO and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) entitled Globalization and the Gender division of Labour in Jordan and Lebanon, compared the two female-dominated sectors of IT and Textiles manufacturing. It found that in the IT sector in Jordan, the wage gap between women and men is narrower compared to the textile sector. Likewise, women's advancement to higher positions is more common in the IT sector. Sex-segregation in occupations was also less prominent in the IT sector.
New UNIFEM ventures seek to promote a gender equality in the IT sector, and empower women through building their capabilities and professional skills. To that end, UNIFEM held a workshop in October 2002 on women in IT, focussing on women's current and future contributions to the IT sector in Jordan. Participants in the gathering included female chief executive officers, chief technical officers, and executive managers of leading IT companies in Jordan. UNIFEM has also created a database that will evaluate the IT sector in Jordan from a gender perspective. The database will be used as a tool to monitor and assess policies and practices identified as a hindrance to the employment of women. This activity is the first of its kind in the region, and offers a model for mainstreaming and empowering women in IT.