Supporting the strategic objectives of the London Syria Conference 2016

The project aims to improve the working conditions of Syrian refugees and Jordanians in the sectors of agriculture and construction.

© ILO October 2016

Summary

The government of Jordan, through its Compact, which was presented at the London Syria Conference in February 2016, agreed to accommodate a specific number of Syrians in the labour market, in return for improved access to the European market, increased investment and soft loans.

The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, the Jordan Response Plan to the Syria Crisis, which followed the Syria Conference also call for collective action to provide better economic, financial and job opportunities for Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.

The number of registered Syrian refugees in Jordan now exceeds 650,000, most of whom live outside refugee camps. The government estimates that the total number of Syrians in Jordan is over 1.3 million. Their presence in host communities has increased the informal economy, decreased wages, impeded access to public services, and increased child labour.

The formalisation of Syrian refugees’ jobs is considered as a positive step in preventing the further deterioration of the wages and working conditions of Syrian refugees and Jordanians.

As a direct follow-up to the London Syria Conference, the UK pledged to build economic opportunities and create job opportunities for Syrian refugees and vulnerable members of their host countries. Through this project, the ILO and the UK Foreign commonwealth Office FCO, will help Jordanians and Syrian refugees gain better access to decent work in agriculture and construction-sectors which employ a large number of Syrian refugees.

This will be done through job matching and skills development services; improved regulatory framework and compliance activities; and the creation of joint business ventures for the sectors of agriculture and constructions.

Objectives

  • Support Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians access decent work in agriculture and construction through job matching and skills development services; improved regulatory framework and compliance activities; and the creation of joint business for the two sector.

Main Activities

Job matching and skills development
  • Training agricultural cooperatives on how to facilitate the granting of work permits to Syrian workers, based on lessons learnt from an ILO pilot currently implemented;
  • Assisting labour directorates in working with cooperatives as focal points in rural areas to deliver work permits and job placement;
  • Creating a placement agency to recruit workers, secure their work permits and place them in construction companies;
  • Creating or upgrading occupation analysis, competency standards, curriculum and training materials for at least five targeted occupations in the two sectors;
  • Identifying potential Jordanian and Syrian candidates through cooperatives and the placement agency to benefit from Recognition of Prior Learning to assert their skills levels;
  • Referring candidates to short term skills upgrading programmes, and re-testing; and
  • Providing a life skills package, including financial literacy training, to workers to help them integrate into their new workplaces.
Improved regulatory framework and implementation measures
  • Training employers on sector specific Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), conducted through cooperatives and the placement agency;
  • Conducting awareness raising sessions to empower workers to voice their concerns, organized by trade unions;
  • Agreeing on specific plans related to improvement of work conditions and monitoring the implementation of these plans with employers;
  • Training labour inspectors on the specific context and OSH for the two sectors;
  • Awarding companies and farms that comply with agreed progress related to working conditions; and
  • Carrying out awareness raising campaigns for refugees, employers and members of the host communities, in order to improve their understanding of labour rights and OSH.
Joint Business Ventures (JBV)
  • Organising a competition for business plans for JBV through cooperatives and the placement agency;
  • Granting winners of the competition financial and technical support; and
  • Monitoring and reporting the impact of the JBV on job creation.

Outcomes

  • 5,000 Syrian refugees and members of the host community gain access to decent work in the agricultural and construction sectors.