This Blog is written by Aalaa Halaka
Dr. Caroline Krafft is an assistant professor of economics at St. Catherine University in Minnesota, and has been working closely with Dr. Ragui Assaad on many research projects concerning MENA labor markets at ERF. Caroline presented a paper co-authored with Dr. Assaad and Caitlyn Keo titled The Composition of Labor Supply and its Evolution from 2010 to 2016 in Jordan based on analysis of the recently published Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey (JLMPS) 2016 data at the The Impacts of the Syrian Refugees Influx on the Jordanian Economy conference.
Jordan has had a rapidly growing population; in part as a result of migrant workers and Syrian refugees, but also the population of Jordanian Nationals is growing and becoming increasingly educated, which in turn affects the type of jobs they're looking for. On the other hand, the challenging cross-regional economic conditions have had significant impacts on the Jordanian Labor Market, which has in part caused lower rates participation in the labor force.
Caroline thus argues that the observed rising rates of unemployment is the real challenge for the Jordanian economy, and that it is challenging to think about what kind of national development strategy is needed to create good jobs for the educated and young population of Jordan.
The seminar on Jordanian Labor Market: Fragility or Resilience is held in Amman, Jordan, on 14 May 2018. This event aims to examine the impact of the Syrian refugee influx on various aspects of life for Jordanians, including their labor market outcomes, their access to education services and housing, and their demographic behavior in terms of marriage and fertility. Visit the conference website to find out more about the events and access policy briefs, working papers, videos and blogs.
