Khaberni - Riad Shamout, the director of the National Employment Program, said on Sunday that the focus, in terms of number of establishments and beneficiaries, was over the past two years in the governorates of Amman, Irbid, and Zarqa, indicating that the Ministry of Labor is aiming to reach the most needy areas to increase the activity of economic sectors.
Shamout added in a statement to "Al-Mamlaka", that there is a direction to raise the awareness of establishments to benefit from the program, explaining that the establishment must be registered in social security, possess a professional license, and have an active commercial register until 2026 in order to join the program.
He mentioned that the program is one of the government's priorities within the Economic Modernization Vision program under the axis of entrepreneurship and innovation.
He clarified that the program provides support worth 145 dinars for 6 months, in addition to 12 dinars as part of social security subscriptions and 10 dinars for transportation allowance.
He pointed out that there is additional support worth 15 dinars for every woman working in this program, to encourage women's economic participation and their continuity in the job market.
The Ministry of Labor said that the National Employment Program is currently undergoing additional measures as part of an ongoing review to enhance its efficiency and impact on the job market, which included rearranging the priorities of targeted sectors to match the actual market needs and focusing on jobs with added value.
Shamout previously confirmed that the measures included enhancing fairness and geographic distribution balance among the governorates, through redefining targeted areas considering developmental differences and employment indicators, with particular attention to priority governorates.
He also mentioned that the measures included analyzing the current conditions of companies and establishments benefiting from the program, and their compliance with sustainable employment objectives.
Shamout explained that the program is continually reviewed in terms of targeting scope and applied interventions, which allows for considering expansion towards additional categories or sectors based on labor market priorities, demand size, anticipated impact, and ensuring that resources are directed towards areas most likely to achieve actual and sustainable employment.
The total number of employment contracts signed and supported within the National Employment Program since its inception in 2021 to date has reached 61,343 beneficiaries, who have joined sustainable full-time jobs with contracts lasting a minimum of 12 months, according to what Shamout confirmed in his statements to "Al-Mamlaka".
