New job center raises Syrian refugees’ hopes
AZRAQ REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan — A job center opened Sunday in Jordan’s second largest camp for Syrian refugees, the latest sign of an European Union-backed policy shift meant to improve the lives of the displaced in regional host countries and discourage them from migrating onward.
Dozens of refugees crowded around tables in a community center in the Azraq camp to register with potential employers for jobs in factories and on farms.
“Any work is OK for me,” said Sumaya Mohammed Jidaa, a 39-year-old widow and mother of six inquiring about a sewing job. “Just give us money to take care of our children.”
Under the Jordan Compact, a deal struck with donor countries in 2016, the kingdom promised to provide 200,000 work permits for Syrians over three years, in exchange for several billion dollars in development assistance and reduced tariff barriers on Jordanian exports to Europe.
Implementation has been slow because of Jordan’s economic downturn, high unemployment and the slow pace of regulatory change. About 90,000 Syrians have obtained work permits so far.
“You cannot expect the private sector to simply make use of a trade agreement if the proper support is not being provided,” said Patrick Daru, country coordinator of the International Labor Organization.
The job center is a project of the ILO, the U.N. refugee agency and Jordan’s Labor Ministry. Jordan has been struggling with the fallout from prolonged conflict in neighboring Syria and Iraq. The Syria fighting, which erupted in 2011, has displaced millions of people. Jordan hosts about 660,000 registered Syrian refugees, though Jordanian authorities say the actual number in the country is twice as high.
At the job fair, Emad Hussein offered jobs for up to 100 refugees, hoping that by hiring them his textile company will become eligible for reduced European tariffs. Hussein said he currently employs 700 Jordanians, 1,700 South Asians and two refugees.
“It’s less expensive to hire Syrians because we don’t have to pay meals and accommodations for them,” he said. “Even if there’s no European customers, we still need Syrians. We have to help people because of humanity, and we know they have experience.”
The job center, supported in part by the Dutch Embassy, contributes to the goal of keeping refugees as close to home as possible, said Dutch Ambassador Barbara Jozaisse.