Creating more and better jobs: Jordan’s trade and investment roadmap in Jordan

The meeting was chaired by Mr Mahmoud Al Sha’lan, Secretary General of the Economic and Social Council (ESC). In his opening remarks, H.E. Al Sha’lan highlighted the relevance of the METI programme for Jordan and how it is aligned to the national policy context, in particular the employment objectives of the Economic Modernization Vision launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II in 2022. METI could make a significant contribution for the achievement of the vision since the selected engineering sector is one of the high value industries targeted by the vision. He further elaborated on the important contribution of the ESC to achieve the Vision, and highlighted how METI has supported these efforts through practical tools and actionable recommendations.

Ms Mary Horvers, Team Leader Governance and Human Development at the Delegation of the European Union to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan thanked the chairperson for his leadership and acknowledged the effort of the tripartite Policy Working Group. She briefly outlined the economic portfolio of the Delegation in Jordan and underscored the relevance for linking discussions on economic development and employment with social protection to ensure inclusive development—an aspect to be further explored in future initiatives.

Building a roadmap for more and better jobs in the engineering sector

A key outcome of the meeting was the unveiling of an Implementation Roadmap for job creation in Jordan’s engineering sector. Developed by a tripartite taskforce and informed by the TRAVERA and STED studies, the roadmap outlines:

• Concrete actions for policymakers to drive employment growth.
• Clear responsibilities and timeframes to ensure accountability.
• A monitoring mechanism to measure progress over time.

The TRAVERA and STED studies provided essential insights into sectoral and trade impact analysis, offering data-driven guidance for policymaking.

As a “living document,” the roadmap will be refined over the coming months to ensure it remains practical and impactful. It will serve as a foundation for future METI initiatives, particularly in the engineering sector.

Download the executive summaries for the TRAVERA and STED studies in English, French, and Arabic.

Looking ahead: building on METI’s success

Over four years, METI has significantly advanced policy alignment and improved employment outcomes in Jordan. This meeting marked the conclusion of METI’s work in Jordan while paving the way for a new regional programme to launch in 2025.

Supported by the European Union, this new programme will focus on designing and implementing trade and investment policies that optimize the quality and quantity of employment. Stakeholder consultations during its inception phase will determine the partner countries.

About METI

METI is a four-year programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Labour Organization. It supports policymakers in the Southern Mediterranean region to better incorporate employment consideration into trade and investment policies. This will support the design and implementation of trade and investment interventions that optimize the quantity and quality of employment creation in the region. The programme is also facilitating the operationalization of the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) which aims to support inclusive and sustainable development of the region.

Further information: www.ilo.org/meti