Ministry of Labor

A Glimpse of the Ministry and its Objectives:

The first Ministry of Social Affairs was established in 1951 and it included a section for labor that supervised the union organization.

In 1960, the first labor department was established as stipulated by the Labor Law no. (21) for the year 1960, whereby labor was added to the Ministry of Social Affairs.  In government acknowledgement of the major role played by the labor force in the social and economic development process, the Ministry of Labor, as an independent Ministry, was established in 1976 in accordance with its Regulation no. (40) for the year 1976.

Since its establishment, the Ministry undertakes the responsibility of realizing general objectives related to labor and labor issues in the Kingdom. In order to accommodate social and economic developments, the Labor Law no. (8) for the year 1996 was issued and the Ministry’s Administrative Regulation no. (83) for the year 1994 and its amendments were put in place.

The Ministry of Labor currently hosts (6) central directorates in addition to (22) subsidiary directorates in governorates and districts. The Ministry has two branch institutions, the Vocational Training Institution and the Social Security Corporation. The Minister of Labor chairs the Boards of Directors of both these institutions and a representative from the Ministry of Labor is a member of the two Boards. The Ministry of Labor has a supervisory role over the union organization in Jordan in both the labor and business owners divisions.

The Ministry of Labor has outside connections with Arab and international labor organizations. Jordan is a member of the International Labor Organization since 1956 and has ratified (18) international labor agreements issued by this Organization. Jordan was one of the founders of the Arab Labor Organization and was an active member in it since its establishment in 1970. Jordan has ratified (6) Arab labor agreements.

The Ministry’s Duties:

Since its establishment in 1976, the Ministry undertakes to implement its tasks and duties, which were re-defined in accordance with Regulation no. (53) for the year 1992, and this Regulation was amended by the Regulation no. (38) for the year 1994. These duties are:

·            Supervising labor affairs and exercising all authorities and responsibilities related to these affairs as stipulated in this Regulation and in other related legislations in effect.

·            Looking after Jordanian labor outside the Kingdom, developing work relations with their host countries, organizing issues related to foreign labor in the Kingdom, supervising them and setting their work conditions.

·            Regulating the Jordanian labor market and putting in place the instructions necessary for providing job and employment opportunities for Jordanians inside and outside the Kingdom in cooperation with specialized parties.

·            Registering and supervising labor unions and business owners’ unions, and supporting and activating labor action.

·            Contributing to the promotion of labor education and vocational training in a manner that guarantees raising the self-efficiency and productivity of the laborer, as well as establishing and supervising institutes and centers for this purpose.

·            Developing cooperation and coordination with Arab and international labor organizations for the purpose of developing the labor and employment sector and production relations.

·            Following up on procedures for repaying compensations for the returnees.

·            Looking into labor issues and complaints through the Wages Authority in the Ministry.

Contact Ministry of Labor