Over 3,200 Jobs created under government's industrial support programmes
In this undated photo, a worker is seen at a Qualified Industrial Zones factory (Photo courtesy of Better Work, ILO/IFC)
AMMAN — Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Yarub Qudah said on Saturday that Jordan's Industrial Support and Development Fund has helped create 3,227 new jobs, marking a 19 per cent increase in employment.
Of the total jobs created, 1,138 jobs were filled by women, the minister said, representing a 25 per cent rise in female employment, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Qudah said the fund's first round of programmes has achieved 'tangible' outcomes, boosting both export performance and development capabilities within the industrial sector.
Out of 1,400 companies that applied for support, 368 were selected during the first phase, with the highest number of beneficiaries coming from the food industries sector, he said.
Qudah also said that the platform has received 1,139 applications for the second round of funding, of which 102 companies were approved under the Outcome-Based Incentive Programme, and 43 under the Export Credit Guarantee Program.
He said that assessment results for two other initiatives, the Industrial Modernization and Export Promotion Programmes, are expected in May and June.
'The fund's impact has been significant. Exports from supported companies rose by 29 per cent to JD118 million, while total sales surged by JD533 million, reflecting a 28 per cent growth,' he said.
The minister said that the overall cost of the development plans reached approximately JD80 million, with the fund's contribution reaching JD41 million, or 51 per cent of the total, and the remaining JD39 million financed by the private sector.
'This indicates the growing private-sector engagement in industrial development,' he said.
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