
Jordan: 'Rapid' labour market shifts push Arabs to rethink economic models — minister
AMMAN: The accelerating transformations in global and Arab labour markets have compelled countries to conduct comprehensive reviews of their national economies in order to adapt to evolving dynamics, Minister of Labour Khaled Bakkar said on Sunday at the Arab Labour Conference.
Speaking at the 51st session of the conference, held in Egypt from April 19 to 26 under the theme "Economic Diversification as a Path to Development: Promising Economies in Arab Countries," Bakkar said that the rapid pace of change has affected all three key stakeholders in the production process of governments, employers and workers.
The minister emphasised the need to reduce reliance on traditional resources and to open up to emerging sectors capable of generating high-value employment, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
He highlighted the increasing influence of the digital economy on labour markets, pointing to the "widening" skills gap, the "disappearance" of conventional jobs, and the emergence of new professions.
Bakkar called for "substantial" investment in digital infrastructure and the modernisation of technical and vocational education systems.
The minister identified the digital economy as a 'foundational' pillar for economic diversification and sustainable development in Arab countries.
Bakkar also underscored the importance of boosting public-private partnerships in digital transformation projects, offering incentives for investments in innovation and entrepreneurship, and implementing training programmes linked directly to employment.
He noted that Jordan has established sectorial skills councils to define training curricula, set evaluation standards, and license programmes in coordination with relevant authorities.
Bakkar noted that Jordan has developed the Economic Modernisation Vision 2023–2033, aimed at unlocking the country's full economic potential and improving quality of life for citizens.
Addressing regional developments, Bakkar said that the conference is taking place amid 'exceptional' economic and social challenges, driven by escalating political instability.
He cited the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, caused by Israeli aggression, as a 'key' factor adding urgency to regional labour and economic discussions.
He also congratulated the Arab Labour Organisation on its 60th anniversary, expressing appreciation for its 'longstanding' efforts to promote labour rights and policy coordination across the Arab world.
The conference brings together labour ministers, representatives of workers' and employers' organisations, and labour experts from 21 member states of the Arab Labour Organisation.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
'An honourable course': UK civil servants told to consider quitting if upset at Gaza policy
Civil servants at the British Foreign Office have expressed anger after being told to consider resigning if they disagree with government policy on Gaza. More than 300 Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) staff sent a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month raising concerns about potential UK "complicity" in Israel's assault on the enclave. According to the BBC, senior officials responded saying that the department had a system for staff concerns and had "rigorously applied international law" with regards to Gaza. "[If] your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from the Civil Service," said the reply to the staff letter, sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the two most senior civil servants in the Foreign Office. "This is an honourable course." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters One of the officials who signed the original letter said there had been "outrage" among staff at the response. "[There is] frustration and a deep sense of disappointment that the space for challenge is being further shut down," said the official, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity. Another former official who saw the correspondence described the response as "obfuscation". Foreign office won't condemn Israeli strike on UK charity workers Read More » "This… simply provides the government with supposed 'plausible deniability' for enabling breaches of international law," they said. Last year, a former aid civil servant told Declassified UK that he had been told that as many as 300 staff in the Foreign Office had formally raised concerns over Britain's complicity and support for Israel's war. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents British civil servants, also requested a meeting with the Cabinet Office over the war in Gaza and its implication for government employees. The new letter, released on 16 May, referenced last year's complaints. "In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government complicity," it said. "In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark." It said the UK government's continued weapons exports to Israel had contributed to "the erosion of global norms", also a citing a visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, "despite concerns about violations of international law".


Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Pep Guardiola says killing of children in Gaza 'hurts my whole body'
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has spoken out against Israel's war on Gaza, saying that the killing of children was 'so painful'. He made the comments on Monday while receiving an honorary degree from the University of Manchester for his contribution to the city in northern England. Guardiola said that he was "deeply troubled" by images he had seen "in Ukraine, in Sudan and in Palestine, in Gaza". "We see the horrors of thousands and thousands of innocent children, innocent mothers and fathers, innocent entire families, suffering, starving, being killed." He said that despite this, many leaders "don't consider the inequality". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "It's so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body. And let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about 'I'm right', or 'you're wrong'. Come on. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour,' the football manager went on. He added that when people see boys and girls, around four years old, 'being killed at the hospital because it's not a hospital any more', they might deem it 'not our business'. 'We can think that it's not our business, but be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four-, five-year-old kids will be ours.' He said that when he looks at his own three children now, since the beginning of the war in Gaza, he feels 'so scared'. Guardiola has won six Premier League titles as manager of Manchester City, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. He was presented with the honorary doctorate by the University of Manchester's chancellor, Nazir Afzal, at Whitworth Hall. ⚡️JUST IN: Pep Guardiola, while receiving an honorary degree from the University of Manchester, gave a powerful speech about Gaza: "It is so painful what we see in Gaza, it hurts all my is not about ideology but the love of is about refusing to be silent or… — Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) June 9, 2025 On what people can do to make a difference in relation to the war in Gaza, Guardiola shared a story. 'There is a story I remind you of. A forest is on fire. All the animals live, terrified, helpless. But a small bird flies back and forth… carrying drops of water in its little beak. 'A snake laughs and asks: 'Why bro? You will never put the fire out,'' the 54-year-old said. 'The bird replies, yes, I know it… I'm just doing my part.' Guardiola said that the bird knew it couldn't stop the fire, but 'it refused to do nothing'. 'In a world that often tells us we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me the power of one is not about the scale. It's about choice, about showing up, about refusing to be silent or still when it matters most.' His comments came just a day after Israeli forces intercepted a UK-flagged aid vessel aiming to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The boat's 12-person crew included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid - including rice and baby formula - to Gaza and to raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. According to Palestinian health and government officials, since October 2023, at least 54,880 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, of whom 28,000 are women and girls. Among those killed, at least 1,400 are health sector workers, over 300 UN aid workers, and more than 220 journalists.


Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Rights groups accuse Airbnb over listings in illegal Israeli settlements
Rights groups have called for the UK's National Crime Agency to investigate Airbnb over alleged money laundering offences they say it may have committed by listing holiday properties in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. Airbnb, according to two legal organisations which have brought the complaint, may have violated laws that make it an offence to handle money and property knowingly derived from criminal acts through its more than 300 listings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. On Tuesday, the organisations - the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (Glan) and Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq - announced that they have filed a criminal complaint with the National Crime Agency over Airbnb's UK subsidiary. Airbnb is currently listed in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights' database of businesses involved in activities in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The filed complaint, one of several coordinated efforts announced on Tuesday, comes after the International Court of Justice July 2024 ruling that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'At a time when we are witnessing genocide in Palestine, businesses like Airbnb are providing services that deny the Palestinian people their means of subsistence, threatening the viability of the group,' said Shawan Jabarin, general director of Al-Haq. 'Following the finding by the International Court of Justice, that Israel's occupation is illegal, business activities trading in goods and services that maintain the illegal occupation, must come to an end.' In 2018, following a Human Rights Watch report which said that Airbnb's listings in settlements were unlawful under international humanitarian law, the company said it would remove listings in the settlements. But the company decision was reversed after legal action was brought in the US by hosts and guests of the listed properties, with Airbnb saying it would donate all proceeds from the rentals to humanitarian organisations. A spokesperson for Airbnb said on Tuesday that the company operates "in compliance with applicable Irish and US laws". "Since 2019, Airbnb has donated all profits generated from host activity in the West Bank to an international nonprofit, in line with our global framework on disputed territories," the spokesperson said. In addition to the complaint filed in the UK, Glan has also filed a legal challenge at Ireland's High Court after the Irish police refused to investigate the role of Airbnb Ireland in facilitating the listings of settlements. Additionally, Glan has sent a 'preservation letter' to Airbnb's parent company, the first step in proceedings under the US Foreign Legal Assistance statute which allow for the discovery of documents to support the Irish and UK actions. Glan senior lawyer Gerry Liston said: 'These are the first ever cases to apply anti-money laundering legislation in the UK and elsewhere to business activity in the illegal Israeli settlements. "They demonstrate that senior executives of companies profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory risk prosecution for a very serious criminal offence.'