As of March 2024, the estimated population of Jordan is 11.3 million.
The currency in Jordan is the Jordanian Dinar (JOD). The currency symbol is د.أ.
In Jordan, employment contracts that are not made for a specific period are considered to be made for an indefinite duration. Additionally, an employee who is regularly employed for piece-work in the workplace or who carries out a series of tasks through piece-work will be considered employed for an indefinite duration. An employment contract remains in force notwithstanding a change of employer. This is the case regardless of whether such a change is due to the undertaking's sale, its transfer by inheritance, a merger, or another reason. For a period of 6 months, the original employer and the new employer shall be jointly liable in the discharge of any obligations arising out of the employment contract and maturing before the date of the change. After the period's expiry, the new employer has sole liability.
Jordan's labor law stipulates that employment contracts must be drawn up in Arabic and made in at least 2 copies (each party shall keep a copy). The law also allows for the use of oral contracts. If no written contract is made, the employee may establish their rights by all legal means of evidence.
Jordan's labor law defines temporary work as "work that requires, in view of its nature, a limited period of time to be completed." However, Jordan's law offers no further guidance on temporary employment contracts.
In Jordan, an employer may employ any individual on a probationary basis to verify their competence and capacities for the assigned work. The probationary period cannot exceed 3 months. Both parties must agree to it in writing. Both parties also have the right to terminate the employment contract within the probationary period without notice or any liability towards the other party. If an employee continues work after the end of the probationary period, their employment contract shall be considered of indefinite duration, and the probationary period shall be considered as part of the service period of the worker's engagement with the employer. The employer cannot extend the probationary period or terminate the contract during this period to re-employ the employee for another probationary period.
Jordan's labor law stipulates that normal working hours must not exceed 8 hours a day and shall not exceed in any week 48 hours over a maximum of 6 days, excluding meal breaks and rest periods. The rules regarding working hours do not apply to persons occupying supervisory or managerial positions in any establishment. Also, hotel, restaurant, and cinema workers are limited to 54 hours per week. Weekly rest days shall be fully paid unless a worker is employed on a daily or weekly basis. In these cases, they shall be entitled to receive full remuneration for the weekly rest day if they worked for 6 consecutive days before the specified rest day and partial remuneration proportionate to the number of days worked if they worked for three or more days. Most private businesses observe Friday as the weekend holiday, while banks and government offices close on Fridays and Saturdays.
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Jordan's labor law stipulates that, for every year of employment, employees shall be entitled to annual leave with full pay for a period of at least 14 days. Annual leave must be extended to 21 days where the employee has been with the same employer for 5 consecutive years. Official and religious holidays, as well as weekly rest days, are not counted as part of a employee's annual leave unless they occur during the leave. If the employee's length of service is less than 1 year, they are entitled to paid leave, calculated proportionately to their employment duration in that year. Upon agreement between an employee and employer, an employee's leave for any year may be carried over to the following year. After considering work requirements and employees' interests, an employer may, during the first month of the year, set employees' annual leave dates and the manner in which leave shall be taken.
In Jordan, every employee is entitled to 14 days' annual sick leave with full pay, provided they present a report from an approved medical practitioner. This leave may be renewed for a further 14 days with full pay if the employee is hospitalized. The employer is liable to pay the employee while the latter is out on sick leave.
Jordan's labor law grants women 10 weeks of paid maternity leave, including rest before and after delivery. Leave after delivery must be no less than 6 weeks long, and employment before the expiry of such a period shall be prohibited. Jordan's social insurance fund provides cash maternity benefits to private-sector employees funded by employer contributions of 0.75% of gross monthly payroll. Women must have at least 6 months of insurance coverage during the 12 months before childbirth to qualify for maternity benefits from the social insurance fund. The maternity benefits pay 100% of the insured's last monthly covered earnings for up to 10 weeks. After the maternity leave period's expiry and within 1 year of delivery, every mother has the right to take time off with pay to nurse her newborn baby, provided that total time off does not exceed 1 hour a day.
In 2019, Jordan's labor law was amended and paternity leave was introduced for fathers. Fathers are entitled to 3 days of paid leave after the birth of a child.
A notice period of 1 month or compensation in lieu of is required to terminate an indefinite-term employment contract. An employer has the right to terminate the employment of an employee on probation without notice or compensation during probationary period. No notice is needed to terminate a contract for gross misconduct or violation of contract.
Employees working under contracts of indefinite duration and not subject to the Social Security Law provisions are entitled to a severance payment if their employment is terminated for any reason. The severance payment is equal to a month's wage for each year of actual service. For part years of service, employees are entitled to proportional remuneration. Employees dismissed during probation are not entitled to severance payment.
In Jordan, all insured persons who reach 60 (men) or 55 (women) years of age with at least 180 months of coverage, including 84 months of contributions during employment, are eligible for an old-age-pension. Early retirement may be granted if the employee has reached the age of 50 years and paid 252 contributions (for men) or 228 contributions (for women). The pension is 2.5% of the average monthly earnings in the last 36 months per year of contribution for the first JOD 1,500 (Jordanian dinars) of the average salary, plus 2% per year of contribution after that. The maximum pension is 75% of the insured's average monthly earnings in the last two years. The pension amount is increased if there are any dependents. Private sector employees who have yet to make any contributions can make reduced contributions until the age of 30. The benefits, however, will also be reduced. Insured persons who have reached the retirement age but do not fulfill the criteria for contributions are entitled to a lump-sum old-age settlement payment calculated according to the number of contributions.
In Jordan, a survivor's pension is provided if the deceased had at least 24 months of contributions, including 6 consecutive months. If more than 1 survivor is eligible, the benefit shall be split. The pension for survivors is calculated as 50% of the average monthly wage during the last 12 months of contributions, 0.5% for each year of contribution beyond 60 months, and 1% for each year of contributions beyond 120 contributions. Eligible survivors include: A widow A disabled widower The insured person's male children up to age 23 Dependent daughters if unmarried, widowed, or divorced Dependent brothers younger than age 23 and dependent sisters Parents The pension is suspended if the beneficiary earns equal to or more than the amount of the pension. The pension for a widow, daughter, or sister is suspended upon marriage but is resumed if she is subsequently widowed or divorced.
In Jordan, insured persons are entitled to a permanent total natural disability pension if they have been assessed as having a partial or total disability and have paid at least 60 contributions, 24 of which are consecutive. Additionally, the decision of a medical committee must establish disability. The pension for total permanent natural disability is calculated as 50% of the last monthly wage subject to contributions, and is increased by 0.5% for each year of contributions when the insured has a total of 60 or more contributions, and by 1% for each year when contributions reach 120 months or more. The pension is increased by an additional 25% if the insured person requires constant assistance from another person. For partial permanent natural disability, the pension amount is determined in proportion to the degree of disability, as assessed by the Medical Committee. For disability due to work-related accidents, 75% of the wages on the day of the accident are paid as an allowance for temporary disability. For permanent disability, 75% of the wages are paid as a pension if the disability is greater than 75%. The pension is decreased proportionately for lower degrees of disability.
According to Jordan's tax law, any income incurred within Jordan, regardless of the place of payment, is subject to tax. Persons who have lived in the country for 183 days or more are considered residents and are taxed on their global income. Non-residents are liable to pay tax on their income from sources in Jordan. The fiscal year is the same as the calendar year, running from January to December. Current income tax rates range from 5-30%. Any individual annual income exceeding JOD 200,000 (Jordanian dinars) will also be subject to a 1% National Solidarity Tax.
Jordan has expanded its visa facilitation measures to ease entry into the Kingdom. Foreign and Arab nationals who normally require prior approval may now enter Jordan directly if they hold a valid Schengen visa or a U.S. visa, and the Ministry of Interior has introduced an e-Visa system that allows applicants to obtain visas electronically through its website or mobile app by submitting personal information, selecting visa duration, paying fees online, and receiving the visa digitally.
Citizens of Sudan, Mauritania, Comoros, Djibouti, and Somalia may obtain visas on arrival if they meet conditions such as holding residency in visa-exempt countries for at least 6 months, possessing valid Schengen or U.S. visas, traveling on official Iraqi delegation assignments, or entering for medical treatment with required Jordanian medical reports. Similar visa-on-arrival privileges are granted to residents of countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, GCC states, South Korea, the EU and Scandinavian countries, and the United Kingdom, provided their residency is valid for at least 6 months and, if arriving by air, they hold a return ticket. Those with valid Schengen or U.S. visas for at least 6 months, official Iraqi delegations, and certain medical-treatment cases from Chad and Ethiopia are also eligible. All other travelers must obtain prior entry approval either personally, through a family member in Jordan, or via a Jordanian authority, depending on visa type.
Jordan's labor law dictates that no foreign-born individual may be hired in Jordan without consent from the Ministry of Interior, unless the work requires experience or skills not found in the Jordanian labor market. Priority for work in Jordan is given to Arab workers, and it is against the law to hire outside of Jordan for a position that a Jordanian could fill. This does not include foreign nationals who are born to Jordanian mothers. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone in Jordan offers flexible labor and immigration policies that allow registered companies to employ up to 70% non-Jordanian workers.
