On the side of the road and under the blazing sun, a young university student, Faisal Abu Rayan (22 years), stands shaking a metal tray with his hand, indicating to passers-by that there is a Turkish tea and coffee shop, and as soon as a car stops, he runs towards it asking the driver, "What is your request?"
Abu Rayan told Al-Jazeera Net, "I graduated from the university with a specialization as a class teacher since last year, and unfortunately I have not been able to work until now, which forced me to work in a cafeteria selling coffee and tea, providing for myself and my family, while waiting for me to get a respectable job in education."
An architectural engineering graduate from the University of Jordan, Mutassim Al-Dridi (24 years), is no better than Faisal, after he graduated, he could not find work with his degree, which prompted him to work in a workshop for the maintenance and installation of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.
The latest figures for the Jordanian Department of Statistics regarding the unemployment rate in the second quarter of this year were a shock after it recorded an increase of 23%, compared to 19.3% during the first quarter of this year.
The unemployment rate among males was 21.5% compared to 28.6% for females, while the unemployment rate among university degree holders was 26.6%, compared to other educational levels.
Young Abu Rayan graduated from university but works in a cafe to support his family (Al-Jazeera)
Unemployment is matched by training
The high unemployment rate among Jordanian youth has prompted the authorities to reinstate the compulsory military military service program for males, but with a new formula that integrates the military and economic aspect, as part of their efforts to alleviate unemployment and poverty.
Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Al-Razzaz said - during the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding regarding the reactivation of the military service between the Ministry of Labor and the Armed Forces - that "the science service project is a national project of the conscience of every Jordanian, launched with a partnership of pride and pride with the Jordanian armed forces."
He continued, "Youth and our human energies are our most valuable possession, and we cannot stand idly by in front of the increase in unemployment numbers, which is a global phenomenon that is worsening in light of the continuing Corona pandemic, so the science service program for military training came, followed by a later stage focusing on acquiring professional, technical, technical and digital skills In the workplace, it is implemented by the Ministry of Labor in partnership with the private sector. "
It is noteworthy that the Jordanian Military Service Law was promulgated in 1976, and it used to subject Jordanian youth to compulsory military recruitment for two years within the armed forces units charged with serving the flag, but the compulsory conscription system was suspended in 1992, before the signing of the Jordanian-Israeli Peace Treaty.
Unreliable
The international expert in the labor sector and workers, Hamada Abu Najma, described the return to education program as a "positive step", especially as it combines the military and practical training to meet the needs of the labor market.
But Abu Najma told Al-Jazeera Net that this program is not reliable in reducing the currently high unemployment rate for several reasons, the most important of which is that it is a practical training program and not an operational program in the sense of providing a job opportunity for graduates after completing the program.
The young Dredidi graduate of architecture works in the air conditioning installation workshop (Al-Jazeera)
In addition to the fact that the number of youth targeted by the program is 20 thousand over two years, and this number does not constitute a real reduction in the number of unemployed persons, if we know that their number reached 440 thousand after the increase in the unemployment rate to 23%, and that the program targets young people without females, and the percentage Unemployment among female university graduates reaches 80%, and this group needs job opportunities just like the youth.
20 thousand unemployed
Minister of Labor Nidal Batayneh said that the age group for male youth targeted in the program is between 25 and 29 years of unemployed and they meet several criteria, and those charged with service will undergo a military training program for a period of 3 months, during which they will receive a monthly salary of 100 dinars ($ 140).
After that, the assignees are divided according to the needs of practical training opportunities into two tracks: Preparatory training includes training in preparatory skills for the labor market and training in the workplace for a period of 9 months, and the second track vocational or technical training in addition to training in the workplace for a period of 9 months.
During the current year, the program will start with 5,000 young people born in 1995, born in 1995, and next year 15,000 newcomers, and the government and the armed forces are seeking to gradually increase the capacity.
The statistics of the Department of Statistics showed an increase in the number of unemployed and a decrease in the size of the workforce by 112 thousand people, between the end of March and the end of last June.
This decrease has negative consequences on the level of household income, private spending and poverty rates, especially with the limited national social safety nets, according to experts.