Amman -
The Jordanian young man, Muhannad Al-Sarafandi, documents 17 immigration applications he submitted to various parties in the hope that he will find a new destination for his life in one of the European or foreign countries in general, and in the hope that he will be granted "relief and acceptance," he said.
Sarafandi holds a master's degree in accounting and works in a local company for 600 dinars ($846) a month, but his income is not enough to meet his obligations.
He told Al Jazeera Net that "living conditions are difficult, and the costs of life, including housing, food, medicine and fuel, are high and stand in the way of my marriage."
Al Sarafandi is similar to many educated Jordanian youth. The 35-year-old pharmacist, Sami Al-Masry, refused to travel for temporary work in Gulf countries, preferring to emigrate in the hope of a better living situation and job opportunities.
The desire to emigrate does not stop at males, as girls are also looking for the same opportunity.
The nurse, Sana Al-Jurid, 29, follows up on immigration requests on social media, and writes to a number of foreign hospitals and medical centers in the hope of a job that will pave the way for permanent immigration.
Despite the improvement in living conditions, infrastructure and services compared to neighboring countries, the desire of Jordanians to migrate is higher (Al-Jazeera)
The highest among the surrounding countries
The desire to immigrate to the United States, European or foreign countries in general is shared by about 48% of Jordanians, according to the results of a recent study issued by the "Arab Barometer" this month, compared to 38% of the Lebanese considering emigration, 35% of the Iraqis, and 25% of the Iraqis. Palestinians, and 24% of Libyans.
93% of Jordanians surveyed attribute their desire to emigrate to poor economic conditions.
The Arab Barometer, an independent, nonpartisan research network, has been conducting public opinion polls in the Middle East and North Africa since 2006.
His recent study shows that the majority of those considering immigration are young people, within the age groups 18 to 29 years, and educated people with a first university degree or higher, which indicates a potential problem for the "brain drain and competencies from the region."
The reasons for emigration are due to poor economic conditions in the first place, in addition to security problems, corruption and political reasons.
Twenty-six percent of Jordanians who wish to do so think of emigrating, even by unofficial means, or "illegal immigration."
dangerous indicator
Jordanian economists link the desire to emigrate and the difficult economic situation, which makes young people lose hope of getting a decent job, and if available, working conditions are not suitable, wages are low, social protection programs are low, and job security is non-existent.
Added to this is the low level of confidence in official plans and discourses about improving the standard of living of citizens, advancing the reality of young people and alleviating unemployment, especially since the memory of Jordanians is full of promises, committees and plans, but without real, tangible results, according to specialists.
Economic analyst Ahmed Awad believes that the results of the poll reflect a "dangerous indicator", which is supposed to sound the alarm among decision makers, "but unfortunately there is no real awareness of these risks, but rather a lack of interest on the part of official institutions that rely on the patience and endurance of the citizen."
70% of workers' wages in Jordan are mortgaged to banks (Getty Images)
individual indebtedness
Analyst Awad says, "We have a large societal disparity, and high individual indebtedness to banks, as 70% of workers' wages are mortgaged to banks, and 24% of Jordanians are below the poverty line, and World Bank figures indicate that 30% of Jordanians are poor, and unemployment rates are high to 22.8% in the year The current decline from 24.8% for the last year 2021 is due to the reopening of sectors to work at full capacity.
According to recent data of the Central Bank of Jordan, the indebtedness of individuals exceeded 12 billion dinars ($16.9 billion) by the end of 2021. The number of individual borrowers from banks reached 1.17 million, an increase of 1% from 2019, and the percentage of male borrowers was 81% of the total borrowers in 2020.
The problem of the relationship between the citizen and the state
According to researchers, the economic conditions in Jordan compared to the countries included in the survey such as Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Palestine and Sudan are much better, as they are lower in terms of poverty and unemployment rates, and better in terms of services and infrastructure.
There is no displacement, displacement, or power cuts, as is the case in neighboring countries, yet the percentage of those wishing to emigrate is lower.
This indicates that the challenges facing Jordanians are not only economic, but that there are political problems in the relationship between the citizen and the state, according to political analyst Muhammad Abu Rumman.
Abu Rumman explains to Al Jazeera Net that a large percentage of young people in Jordan have a feeling of "unfairness, and this is more dangerous than the economic situation, because it creates a problem in integrating with the state, and viewing it as unfair."
This feeling exists in two parts: the political one is present in the major cities, and the economic one is present in the governorates.
Sociologists say that pressure is pushing Jordanians to think about immigration instead of clashing with decision-makers (Reuters)
feeling angry
Abu Rumman believes that the desire to emigrate means severing ties mainly with the motherland, other than traveling for work and then returning.
This indicates a political problem that may be linked to the political identity of a large proportion of citizens, or to a feeling of anger at the state, and the lack of a clear framework for the required relationship between the state and the youth.
The poll coincides with the inauguration of the Committee to Modernize the Political Legislation System and the Economic Vision Committee, which took place at the Jordanian Royal Court, and the promises of creating one million jobs for Jordanians over the next 10 years.
This reflects two things, according to analyst Abu Rumman:
Loss of trust between youth and the state, and a lack of a sense of the seriousness of implementing those legislation and plans.
The state’s weak discourse, which cannot reach the youth, engage and dialogue with them, and their sense of political alienation and lack of economic integration.
Saddam or withdrawal?
From a social point of view, Hussein Mahadin, Professor of Sociology at Mutah University, believes that Jordan is witnessing a state of indolence and psychological and social fragility, which leads it to deal with the challenges it faces in a difficult way and puts it between two options:
Either clash and conflict with political and economic decision-makers, as happened in neighboring societies.
Or withdraw from the difficult life situation by escaping to other areas where it is believed that the conditions are better than they are in Jordan.
This impression, Mahadin adds, is linked to a huge rise in economic and living pressures, poor income, and the desire of Jordanians, due to the high levels of education they have, to improve their living conditions, in addition to the delay in political and economic reforms.
According to sociology experts, there are a number of dangerous indicators of a state of popular congestion among unemployed youth, expressed in demand sit-ins here and there to find job opportunities, and these congestions will remain hotbeds of tension whose results cannot be expected.