Labour office opens at Amman Chamber of Commerce

AMMAN –– An office for the Labour Ministry was inaugurated at the headquarters of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) on Sunday in a bid to increase Jordanians’ employment in the commercial sector. 

At the inauguration ceremony, the ministry and the ACC also signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate and speed up transactions of companies related to work permits for guest workers and to share electronic employment data available at the ministry. 

ACC Chairman Issa Murad said the new cooperation will enable the ministry to know about job opportunities available in the commercial sector that can be occupied by Jordanians. 

Offering more jobs for Jordanians and speeding up work permits needed by firms would boost the sector’s performance and competitiveness, Murad said, adding that ACC is keen to boost partnerships between the private and public sectors.     

He noted that the agreement and the new office at the ACC headquarters also seek to provide training to local workers and to help employers recruit qualified manpower. 

Labour Minister Nidal Katamine said the government is keen to facilitate the private sector’s employment procedures, noting that ACC has more than 45,000 establishments under its umbrella. 

“Jordan is going through difficult economic conditions due to regional turmoil and creating jobs for Jordanians is a challenging task,” the minister said, adding that thousands of Syrians have entered the local labour market. 

Jordan Chamber of Commerce President Nael Kabariti called on officials to open labour offices at other chambers of commerce across the Kingdom in a bid to replace guest workers with Jordanians. 

Several officials and representatives from the commercial sector attended the opening ceremony.