Y-NEET in Jordan
Jordan records a NEET rate of 35.3% among youth aged 15–29, with nearly half of young women affected. Two-thirds of NEET youth are inactive, reflecting care responsibilities, mobility barriers and social norms. NEET risks rise sharply for 25–29-year-olds, signaling transition failures after leaving education. Geographic disparities are pronounced, with high-NEET governorates contrasting sharply with Amman. Skills mismatch and limited job creation hinder graduate employment, despite national ambitions set out in the Economic Modernization Vision 2023–2033. Jordan is advancing NEET measurement integration, PES strengthening and gender-responsive activation design to build a more coherent, Youth-Guarantee-aligned approach to youth transitions.
3 February 2026
Country Overview
Jordan faces a labour-market landscape shaped by high unemployment, structural mismatch, limited private-sector absorption, and deep gender and regional disparities. With a substantial youth population and comparatively high levels of tertiary education, the economy struggles to translate human capital into productive employment. Public administration, historically a major employer, can no longer absorb new entrants.
The Economic Modernization Vision 2023–2033 sets out an ambitious agenda to expand private-sector jobs, diversify the economy, and modernize labour-market systems — including public employment services. This broader national framework underpins Jordan’s engagement in the ILO’s Youth NEET regional programme.
Profile and Trends of NEETs
Jordan benefits from one of the most comprehensive youth NEET statistical profiles in the region, prepared under the Youth NEET programme. In 2023, 35.3% of youth aged 15–29 were NEET. A defining characteristic of Jordan’s NEET challenge is inactivity: 66.7% of NEET youth are inactive, not unemployed.
Gender disparities are acute. 45.4% of young women are NEET, compared to 26.3% of young men, with married women showing extremely high inactivity. Social norms, care responsibilities and mobility constraints limit women’s ability to participate in training or labour-market activities.
Age dynamics show a sharp rise in NEET rates among 25–29-year-olds (47.4%), signaling early transition failures and extended delays in achieving stable employment after leaving education.
Spatial disparities are also prominent. Mafraq (46.4%), Zarqa (40.7%), Aqaba (42%) and Maan (41.7%) record significantly higher NEET levels than Amman (30.6%), making geographic targeting essential for policy effectiveness.
Education trends reveal mismatch rather than insufficient attainment. Advanced-educated youth experience NEET rates exceeding 50%, while intermediate-educated youth fare somewhat better — underscoring strong market demand for mid-level technical skills.
Main Levers and Barriers
Levers: Strong evidence base: the statistical profile offers rich insights for segmentation, regional targeting and policy prioritization. Reform alignment: the Economic Modernization Vision places youth employment, private-sector competitiveness and PES modernization at the centre of national priorities. Institutional readiness: the Ministry of Labour has expressed readiness to integrate NEET indicators into labour surveys, strengthen PES, and co-develop technical assistance requests with ILO.
Barriers: Limited labour-market demand: private-sector job creation remains insufficient relative to the large number of youth seeking employment. Persistent gender norms: women face care burdens, mobility barriers and safety concerns that restrict their participation. Skills mismatch: employers frequently report gaps in practical, digital and soft skills among graduates. Regional inequality: geographic disparities in opportunities, transport and service availability lead to uneven youth outcomes.
Employment Policy and Ongoing Reforms
Jordan’s reform momentum is accelerating. Under the Youth NEET programme, national institutions validated the NEET profile and committed to using the evidence to guide activation. The Ministry of Labour is preparing a Technical Assistance Facility request to strengthen PES capacity, develop gender-responsive activation strategies, and introduce monitoring mechanisms aligned with NEET indicators.
The Economic Modernization Vision complements these efforts with a focus on stimulating private-sector investment, modernizing education-to-work transitions and encouraging high-value sectors capable of absorbing skilled youth. Combined with strengthened NEET measurement through regular labour surveys, Jordan is positioned to implement a more structured activation model.
Implications & Strategic Entry Points
Jordan’s priority actions include: segmentation of NEET youth to tailor interventions by gender, age, education, and location; strengthening PES to deliver individualized counselling, matching and follow-up services; targeted geographic strategies, prioritizing high-NEET governorates; addressing gender barriers through transport, childcare and flexible training design; boosting private-sector engagement in internships, apprenticeships and early-career hiring; embedding NEET monitoring within national statistical systems for continuous learning.
Jordan’s strong analytical foundation, policy alignment under the Economic Modernization Vision and active engagement in the Youth NEET programme place it on a promising path to reduce NEET rates and improve youth transitions.