Jordan Times
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
PM reviews decentralization
plan with students
AMMAN (Petra) — Unemployment in the Kingdom currently stands at 14.5 per cent
with 25,000 jobs being created annually, Prime Minister Faisal Fayez said on
Tuesday.
Maintaining the present ratio requires the creation of 50,000 jobs annually by
2013, and to reduce the rate to 7 per cent 90,000 jobs a year need to be
created, the premier told a group of distinguished university students.
Fayez said the formation of a committee tasked with upgrading the central,
northern and southern regions seeks to achieve broad and effective national
participation in decision making through elected councils in each region. He
added that legislation would continue to originate from the central Parliament
and deputies would continue to design legislation to modernise the Kingdom.
The premier told the students that democracy starts at home and in universities,
but said educational institutions should not be turned into a conflict zone for
tribal and political affiliations.
Fayez visits ministries
On a tour of the Ministry of Labour yesterday, Fayez said rehabilitating young
Jordanians, especially diploma holders, was important to meet the requirements
of local and Arab labour markets.
Minister of Labour Amjad Majali said 16 jobs were off-limits to 250,000 guest
workers registered in the Kingdom and reserved for the local workforce. He said
the ministry had signed 68 agreements with investment companies to train and
recruit Jordanians to gradually replace guest workers.
Majali said the ministry created seven posts for counsellors to study labour
markets in the Gulf countries and Libya, in order to find employment for
qualified Jordanians.
The premier also visited the Ministry of Industry and Trade yesterday, where he
was briefed on the procedures and measures needed to implement the Jordan 2020
Royal vision by Minister of Industry and Trade Ahmad Hindawi.
Hindawi said doubling the current per capita income of $1,800, to $3,600 demands
that the current GDP be increased from $7 billion to over $30 billion in 2020.
Fayez also made a stop at the Ministry of Environment where Environment Minister
Yousef Shureiqi briefed him on the ministry's prominent achievements in 2004.