Post on 18-May-2020
Migration in JordanA Statistical Portrait from a Gender
Perspective
Mrs. Manal SweidanHead of Gender Statistics DivisionDepartment of Statistics, Jordan
Email: manal@dos.gov.jo; manal.sweidan@hotmail.com
Seventh Global Forum on Gender StatisticsGovernment of Japan and United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
Tokyo, Japan, 14 to 16 November 2018
Migration in Jordan, a Statistical Portrait
Jordan is considered to be one of the top 10 countries of destination for migrants from Arab
countries
Sourcehttp://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/ migration/data/estimates2/index.shtml (accessed 30 January 2015).
Number of Migrants
Migration in Jordan, a Statistical Portrait..cont
Jordan is a major migrant-receiving country
8
31
19
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
2004
2015
Average annualgrowth rate(2004-2015) % of
migrantsout of thetotalpopulation
Demographic Characteristics of Migrants, 2015
A higher percentage of males in comparison to females in age groups 20-49 and it is more obvious in the 25-29 age group, which is within the range of the legally allowed working ages
Migrant Population by Region & Sex, 2015
52
82
40
48
18
60
70.7
22.6
6.8
Arab Asian Countries Arab African Countries Other Countries
Male Female % of the total migrant population
Regional political instability in the countries nearby formed the migration picture in Jordan
Migrants by Country of Citizenship & Sex, 2015
Regional political instability in the countries nearby
formed the migration picture
in Jordan
Female Migrants as Heads of Households by Age Group, 2015
2.7
8.9
13.614.5
13.7
11.39.5
7.35.9
4.0
8.6
15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+
Female
16% of migrant households are headed by females compared to only 11.6% among the Jordanian
households
Educational Characteristics of Males by Nationality
68
34
26
7
2017
15
35
14
10 9
Illiterate Read and
write
Less than
high school
High school
level
Diploma Bachelors
degree and
above
Male Jordanian
Male Migrants
Jordanian males have higher percent of high school level & higher
education compared to migrants. There is a higher percentage of
illiteracy among migrant males compared to male Jordanians.
Educational Characteristics of Females by Nationality… cont
The same pattern exists among the female population in Jordan.
118
2624
11
2017
14
38
15
6
11
Illiterate Read andwrite
Less thanhigh school
High schoollevel
Diploma Bachelorsdegree and
above
Female Jordanian
Female Migrants
Reasons of Migration to Jordan, 2015
Insecurity and armed conflict in the migrants origin countries was the main reason for leaving their countries
3.2
6.6
16.6
19.2
54.3
4.4
10.5
12
12.4
60.6
3.5
7.1
15.9
18.3
55.1
Study & Medication &
Tourism
Others
Accompanying
Work
Insecurity/ Armed Conflict in
Country of Origin
Total
Female
Male
Study
Patterns of Migration in Jordan Labor
migration 18%
Forced migration
56%
Other flows, like
dependents study 26%
Among the 56% migrants who said they came to Jordan as result of the armed conflicts, 86% consider themselves Refugees, 10% considered as non-refugees while the remaining 4% don't know
Forced Migration in Jordan
Refugees86%
Non-refugees10%
Don't Know4%
Demographic Characteristics of Refugees
50.649.4
Male Female
The distribution of the 86 percent of those who considered
themselves as refugees, shows almost an equal distribution of
refugees in relation to their gender.
Demographic Characteristics of Refugees ..cont
The number of women
is slightly higher than
men in certain age
groups
Demographic Characteristics of Refugees ..cont
• Four in five refugees in Jordan are Syrians
• 77% have arrived to Jordan in the last 1 to 5 years (prior to 2016).
• More than 68% of the refugees, do not have health insurance
• 15% of refugees are illiterate, most of them are females.
• 65% have less than high school education with no gender
differentials.
• Refugees work in retail, wholesale, restaurants, construction where
little education is required and where most can be employed
without a work permit due to lower costs on business owners and
liability.
Economic Status of Jordan's Population by Nationality & Sex
33
79
67
2026
8374
17
Male Female Male Female
Economically Inactive Economically Active
Jordanian
Migrant
Employment Status of Jordan's Population by Nationality & Sex
Among males, there is very little difference in the percentage
of employed Jordanians & migrants. For females, there is a
higher percentage of employed migrants compared to
employed Jordanians.
87
64
13
36
90
76
10
24
Male Female Male Female
Employed Unemployed
Jordanian
Migrant
Labor Migration with Work Permits by Nationality
• Three in four migrants labor permit
holders are men (75%), the majority are
Egyptian (67%).
• Female labor permit holders accounted for
24 percent, the bulk came from Bangladesh
(49%).
Labor Migration with Work Permits by Type of Work
• Male migrants are mostly employed at agriculture,
construction, and manufacturing services
• Females dominated household domestic work
• However, a large number of domestic workers may be
undocumented - either because they entered illegally,
have overstayed or have failed to inform the
Immigration Directorate about change of employers -
means that this is a sector where the estimates are
unlikely to be inaccurate.
• Household employment or domestic work is a major
source of employment for both documented and
undocumented female migrant workers.
A Glance at the Impact of Syrians in the Jordanian labor Market..cont
• Syrians comprise only 12% of the total number of
migrant workers holding work permits (15% males of
total males holding work permits, and 3% females of total
females holding work permits
• Estimates of informal Syrian workers range between
42,000 and 150,000 (World Bank), and 160,000 to 200,000
(Jordan’s Ministry of Labor, 2015).
• Syrians allegedly working without permits were said to be
in the construction, retail and wholesale stores,
restaurants, services and agriculture sectors.
A Glance at the Impact of Syrians in the Jordanian Labor Market..cont
Challenges resulted from the presence of Syrians in
the Jordanian labor market were the following:
1. Unlike other migrant workers, Syrians have
their families with them and are unable to work
under some of the conditions feasible for migrant
workers who come to Jordan alone (like
Egyptian).
2. Social tensions have emerged as the increased
labor supply appears to have suppressed wages.
A Glance at the Impact of Syrians in the Jordanian Labor Market.. cont
Despite these challenges, new opportunities have
emerged.
1. Whereas migrant workers send the bulk of their
wages back home as remittances, Syrian wages
are spent inside Jordan.
2. Recruitment costs can be dramatically reduced
because Syrians are already in the country.
3. Despite generally low levels of education, many
Syrians have strong entrepreneurial skills as
well as skills in trades.
4. Syrians living in camps are available to work,
including in nearby manufacturing zones.
Conclusion• This working paper show that women are present in all
migratory flows, however a closer inspection of each
channel of entry reveals very different proportions of men
and women.
• Whilst women have formed an increasing proportion of
all labour migration, some sectors are heavily female
dominated and with fewer social and economic rights
attached like the domestic and household sector.
• Family-related migration (formation and reunion),
although the dominant category of settlement, is also
highly feminized has hardly received any attention.
Conclusion.. cont
• The evidence presented in this paper suggests not only that the proportion of women in all migration flows is increasing, but that their modes of entry are increasingly complex and diversified.
• This paper highlights the available statistical data on migration for a better understanding of gendered migrations and policy making; to understand the changing nature of contemporary gendered migrations.
Thank you for
listening
Women count. It’s time to count them and count them in.Katja Iversen, President / CEO Women Deliver
Mrs. Manal SweidanHead of Gender Statistics DivisionDepartment of Statistics, JordanEmail: manal@dos.gov.jo; manal.sweidan@hotmail.com