Latest news with #MinistryofGovernmentCommunication
Jordan News
15-07-2025
- Business
- Jordan News
Minister of Labor: 430,000 Young Jordanians Unemployed - Jordan News
Dr. Khalid Al-Bakkar, Minister of Labor, and Dr. Zaid Al-Nawaiseh, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Government Communication, held a media briefing on Tuesday titled "The Impact of Organizing the Labor Market on Providing Job Opportunities for Jordanians," as part of the Government Communication Forum series. اضافة اعلان During the meeting, Al-Bakkar reviewed the ministry's plans and programs related to labor market regulation, management of non-Jordanian labor affairs, the establishment of a Labor Market Observatory, and the development of a pilot Labor Market Information System. He also discussed efforts in training, employment, and inspection procedures. Al-Bakkar stated: "The number of unemployed young men and women in Jordan has reached 430,000. The ministry's decisions align with the goals of the Economic Modernization Vision to absorb these numbers in the coming years, while leveraging economic growth rates and investment volumes." He highlighted the presence of about 350,000 Jordanians working in the informal sector without any insurance programs, noting the ministry's ongoing efforts to regulate this sector and integrate these workers into the formal system. The minister announced the completion of the pilot version of the Labor Market Information System, planned for launch by the end of this year. This system aims to support ministry decisions by providing updated evidence-based data to align labor supply and demand. This system will be connected with all relevant government partners including the Department of Statistics, Social Security Corporation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission, and coordinated with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship to ensure high cybersecurity standards within government servers. Al-Bakkar outlined the four-phase plan for completing the Labor Market Observatory, which aims to evaluate labor market performance indicators to support decision-making and policy development. He stressed the ministry's dedication to closely monitoring all labor market details through an early warning system, designed to provide an accurate picture of economic and financial conditions of companies, predict failing businesses, and detail Jordanian and non-Jordanian workforce proportions and companies' compliance with hiring Jordanians. Regarding the employment and training system, Al-Bakkar said that the number of productive branches and units, a royal initiative implemented by the ministry, has risen to 33 units and branches currently employing 9,298 Jordanians. The capacity of these branches reaches 11,711 workers, with females comprising about 90.8% of the workforce and persons with disabilities about 4.2%. In response to royal directives to increase productive branches across governorates, there are currently 5 new branches, 3 under construction, and 6 in planning, all aiming to employ Jordanians near their residences to save time and effort. Concerning the National Employment Program, Al-Bakkar revealed that by mid-2025, the program supported 51,291 employment contracts and benefited 1,651 private-sector establishments. Over 10,000 job seekers registered during the first six months of 2025, while the ministry's employment directorates placed around 3,673 Jordanians in various sectors in the first half of the year. Additionally, 34 job fairs were held during this period. The training and employment system is also linked to the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC), which operates 30 training institutes, 8 distinguished centers, 426 trainers, and 128 training programs, including 23 newly introduced and 76 updated courses. Around 10,850 trainees enrolled in VTC programs, with a graduate employment rate of approximately 62%. Al-Bakkar noted that, in partnership with the private sector, the VTC is establishing specialized academies tailored to competitive and investment advantages. Examples include academies for manufacturing industries, agricultural technology, tourism and hospitality, e-commerce, leather and garments, culinary arts, jewelry, and vehicle maintenance. Regarding entrepreneurship support, the minister highlighted the role of the Development and Employment Fund in supporting small and medium enterprises and offering financing programs targeting youth and women. These include financing for electric vehicles and scooters (in cooperation with Jordan Post), economic empowerment of women, financing new and developing projects, supporting pioneering initiatives, and skills-based employment programs. By mid-2025, the fund disbursed about 9.74 million dinars to finance 733 projects, creating 1,411 job opportunities across all governorates. On regulating non-Jordanian labor, the ministry has taken several measures including reviewing the ratio of Jordanian to non-Jordanian workers in various sectors. It opened sector transfers in late 2024 to serve employers' needs and signed memoranda of understanding with several sectors to determine their needs for non-Jordanian labor versus hiring Jordanians. The ministry also amended work permit fees, reducing charges for skilled workers and canceling exit/re-entry permits for Egyptian workers. Workers from Gaza were exempted from fines for delayed permit renewals, and Syrian workers were exempted from fees and fines between June 30, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Joint inspection campaigns with the Interior Ministry and Public Security Directorate targeted illegal non-Jordanian workers. These efforts led to the deportation of 4,552 non-Jordanian workers in the first half of 2025, compared to 1,509 in 2024. Al-Bakkar affirmed the ministry's commitment to protecting workers' rights and ensuring private sector compliance with occupational health and safety standards through specialized directorates. During the first half of 2025, the ministry received 5,428 labor complaints via the "Himaya" electronic platform, most of which were resolved. Inspection teams visited 14,889 workplaces, with intensified inspections in sectors with high complaints or related to child labor, occupational health and safety, and employment of persons with disabilities. The ministry's directorate for domestic workers manages all issues related to household workers and recruitment offices, raising awareness among workers about their rights and clarifying employers' responsibilities. Regarding labor disputes, Al-Bakkar stated that the ministry handled 26 disputes in the first half of 2025, with 22 resolved through direct negotiation, while the rest remain under review. Dr. Zaid Al-Nawaiseh emphasized the importance of aligning vocational and technical training with labor market demands to create job opportunities for Jordanians. He noted that organizing the labor market and providing national employment programs help balance market needs with job availability. He added that the ministry is working on establishing a comprehensive, clear labor market information system that accurately reflects market reality as a strategic step toward enhancing labor market efficiency and supporting the Kingdom's economic and social development.
Jordan News
03-06-2025
- Business
- Jordan News
571,000 Tourists Visited Jordan by End of May, Marking 27% Increase – Details - Jordan News
Director General of the Jordan Tourism Board, Dr. Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, announced that the tourism sector has experienced a significant boost over the past two months (April and May), with a noticeable improvement in performance reflected in rising figures. He made the remarks during a meeting held on Tuesday at the Government Communication Forum, attended by Zaid Al-Nawaiseh, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Government Communication, to discuss the future outlook of tourism in Jordan. اضافة اعلان Arabiyat stated that the total number of tourists increased by 27% in May compared to the same period last year, reaching 571,000 visitors during the current month. He also confirmed that from the beginning of the year until the end of May 2025, the number of tourists rose by 25%. This growth is largely attributed to the resumption of air travel, including the full return of Royal Jordanian Airlines' routes, the launch of new routes, and the comeback of low-cost carriers, which introduced 14 new routes since April 1. These include 27 weekly flights from European countries such as Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, and Romania. Additionally, Wizz Air has launched six new routes to Amman from four European countries and one from Abu Dhabi. Arabiyat highlighted that the number of passengers arriving via low-cost airlines reached 102,000 by the end of May 2025, across 578 flights, with the vast majority being tourists — as only 14% of them were Jordanians.
Jordan News
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
Al-Momani: Specialized and Credible Scientific Media is the First Line of Defense Against Misinformation - Jordan News
Minister of Government Communications and Government Spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani emphasized that specialized, credible scientific media is the first line of defense against fake and misleading information. He stated that when scientific understanding tools and communication channels with research centers are available, media becomes more capable of creating an advanced community awareness. اضافة اعلان During his speech at the second scientific conference titled "Scientific Journalism: Between Reality and Leading Change," organized by the Faculty of Media at the Middle East University, Al-Momani pointed out that despite the transformative effects of artificial intelligence on the media landscape and the tools it offers for content development, it poses precise challenges regarding content reliability, publishing standards, and adherence to journalistic ethics and codes of conduct. Al-Momani stressed that His Majesty King Abdullah II's significant focus on the comprehensive modernization vision, with its three pillars—political, economic, and administrative—requires enhancing the efforts of all sectors, especially the media, to keep up with the demands of the digital transformation era. The minister explained that the conference represents an important milestone in the development of media, as it plays a crucial role in knowledge production, analysis, and dissemination to the community in a scientific and responsible manner. It also opens the door for serious discussions on the roles of media in an era where scientific and technological transformations are accelerating. He added that the importance of specialized scientific journalism increases in the face of sectoral challenges such as health, environmental, and economic issues. Today, specialized and trained journalists are expected to understand, analyze, and explain rather than simply convey information. He called for the establishment of training platforms that enable students to engage with digital tools consciously and skillfully and to enhance partnerships between journalists, researchers, and technology specialists. Al-Momani also affirmed the Ministry of Government Communication's interest in the outcomes and recommendations of the conference, which aim to support an environment of media transparency, credibility, and specialization in line with the country's modernization and development vision. Dr. Salameh Al-Mohadin, President of Middle East University, noted that the conference this year focuses on addressing the key challenges faced by scientific journalism, building on the success of the first conference last year, which addressed topics such as obesity in the media and shaping public awareness around climate change. She highlighted the lack of specialization and scientific knowledge among some journalists, which leads to oversimplification or distortion of scientific information, and the absence of specialized training programs in scientific journalism in many Arab media institutions. She also pointed out the scarcity of local scientific content, with scientific journalism often relying on foreign sources, alongside the lack of published and accessible local scientific research in Arabic. Al-Mohadin added that scientific journalism is often not prioritized in many Arab media outlets and is sometimes constrained by political or religious factors, leading to the omission or restriction of coverage on sensitive topics such as reproductive health or genetic research. The lack of general scientific culture also affects the public's engagement with scientific journalism, reducing the demand for such content. Dr. Ramzi Abu-Hassira, Dean of the Faculty of Media at Middle East University, explained that this conference follows up on the recommendations from the first scientific journalism conference and continues the academic and research path the faculty adopted last year. It aims to establish a solid interactive dialogue platform, bringing together scholars, researchers, journalists, and specialists from Jordan, Palestine, Algeria, the UAE, Egypt, and Iraq to bridge the gap between the community and scientific knowledge producers. The conference also aims to highlight the challenges facing scientific journalism amid rapidly advancing technology and the growing role of artificial intelligence, emphasizing transparency and credibility in the dissemination of scientific knowledge. The goal is to provide methodological recommendations that contribute to improving the reality of scientific journalism both nationally and regionally.
Roya News
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
UNESCO supports development of Jordan's Second National Media and Information Literacy Strategy
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has reaffirmed its support for the development of Jordan's second National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategy for 2025–2028, in partnership with the Jordan Media Institute and the Ministry of Government Communication. The initiative aims to empower citizens with the skills needed to engage critically and responsibly with media and digital content. Led by the Ministry of Government Communication, and in collaboration with UNESCO and the Jordan Media Institute, the strategy will offer a comprehensive national framework to promote critical thinking, digital awareness, and responsible information engagement, in response to the evolving challenges of the digital environment. In today's information-saturated world, where disinformation and misleading narratives are increasingly common, UNESCO underscores the urgent need to equip individuals with the tools to assess the credibility of sources, discern between reliable and misleading content, and understand the ethical dimensions of the information they consume and share. The first draft of the strategy has recently been completed and is expected to be published soon on the online platforms of both the Ministry and JMI. It will be open for public consultation over a period of 30 days, allowing citizens and experts alike to provide input and contribute to shaping the final document. Once the consultation period concludes, the Jordan Media Institute will revise the draft accordingly and prepare the final version, which will be launched during a national event following formal endorsement by the Minister of Government Communication and relevant government bodies. UNESCO emphasizes that MIL is no longer a luxury, but a necessity—central to protecting societies from disinformation and empowering informed civic participation. Without these essential skills, individuals and communities remain vulnerable to manipulation and disempowered to make sound decisions. UNESCO takes pride in supporting this national effort and commends the leadership of the Ministry and the expertise of the Jordan Media Institute, both of which reflect Jordan's commitment to an engaged, informed, and digitally resilient society. This year also marks a significant milestone: the 75th anniversary of Jordan's membership in UNESCO and the 70th anniversary of its membership in the United Nations—adding further significance to this collaboration and underscoring the strength of Jordan's international partnerships in fostering media literacy and access to information.
Jordan Times
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Kingdom's political reforms to strengthen democracy, empower youth
Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani AMMAN — Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani affirmed on Sunday that Jordan's comprehensive modernisation plan includes ambitious political reforms aimed at enhancing democratic engagement and boosting youth participation. Speaking at the Ministry of Government Communication during a meeting with participants in the Parliamentary Fellowship Programme, a key initiative of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, Momani emphasised that political modernisation is a national priority and a cornerstone of the country's stability. Highlighting the need for bold steps to reshape Jordan's political landscape, Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, noted that His Majesty King Abdullah had directed the formation of the Royal Committee for Modernisation, which includes a wide range of political representatives. As the Kingdom enters its second centenary, Momani outlined Jordan's three-pronged modernisation strategy, which encompasses political, economic, and administrative reforms, each with clear objectives and implementation mechanisms. Momani described the political modernisation efforts as among the most significant in Jordan's history, with key reforms including the allocation of 41 parliamentary seats to political parties, the introduction of an electoral threshold to refine party representation and the reduction of the age of candidacy from 30 to 25. The reforms also aim to increase women's political participation by requiring party lists to include a young candidate in the top five, a woman in the top three, and another woman in the top six positions, he added. Momani also commended the Parliamentary Fellowship Programme for providing young participants with leadership skills and enhancing their understanding of the political process. He pointed out that Jordan has moved closer to the centre of the international political and democratic growth index, citing the Kingdom's openness to political, electoral, and party system reforms. He also emphasised that the success of these reforms hinges on ongoing monitoring and adjustments to address challenges and ensure effective implementation. On media literacy, Momani praised Jordan's efforts in educating young people on how to distinguish between reliable and misleading information. He encouraged greater youth involvement in media literacy initiatives, highlighting their vital role in promoting informed political discourse. Momani also underscored Jordan's Cybercrime Law, asserting that it does not restrict freedom of expression, provided individuals respect legal boundaries and avoid engaging in hate speech. Director of the Parliamentary Fellowship Programme at the King Abdullah II Fund for Development Rama Rawash described the initiative as a direct response to His Majesty's vision for youth empowerment. The programme, run in partnership with the Lower House of Parliament, provides young participants with hands-on experience in legislative work by assigning them as research assistants to Members of Parliament. Participants conduct legislative research, analyse proposed legislation, and provide policy insights to legislators. The programme also organises workshops and dialogues between participants and government institutions to familiarise them with public sector operations and decision-making processes.
