Amman, Jordan

28 January, 2021

As part of efforts to attract fresh university graduates to work in Jordan’s garment industry, Better Work Jordan (BWJ) hosted a discussion on the results of a job analysis identifying the most important functions in various departments in the sector.

Representatives of garment factories and other Better Work Jordan partners attended the meeting to review the analysis report, conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to develop job descriptions for middle managers in the garment sector.

Based on data collected from four participating companies, the study analysed organisational structures, job descriptions, total number of workers in the factories of these companies, proportion of Jordanian workers in factory departments, and salary ranges per job.

The study focused on the functions of accounting and finance; human resources and administration; information technology; compliance, health and safety; logistics and sourcing; pattern preparation; laying and cutting; printing and embroidery; sewing; quality control; ironing and packaging; and sales and marketing.

It analysed job families within each function, and developed career paths, identifying all possible career progression steps, based on the required education level, languages, experience, competencies, and training.

Selection of these occupations was based on the optimum impact on employment of Jordanians in the sector.

“We feel satisfied with the results of this study, which expands career paths in line with Jordanian university graduates’ career aspirations,” said Dina Khayyat, vice chairman of the Board of Jordan Garment Accessories and Textiles Exporters Association.

“We need to build on this study. We thank the ILO and BWJ for enabling us to make such progress, identifying occupations that could be available to Jordanian university graduates in the future,” added Khayyat, who is a member of BWJ Project Advisory Committee.

The garment and apparel industry in Jordan have witnessed rapid growth over the past years, and has the potential to generate additional exports, jobs and foreign direct investment for the country. In 2019, exports were estimated at more than USD 1.9 billion, accounting for 23% of Jordan’s overall export.

During the meeting, representatives of garment factories discussed challenges facing the inclusion of Jordanian workers in the industry, such as education outputs and industry needs as well as a shortage of skilled workers, and lack of interest from Jordanian workers.

At the same time, the representatives talked about how some Jordanian workers succeeded in developing their skills and advancing their careers.

A factory manager attending the discussion said the current head of a division in the factory worked at the beginning of her career as an assistant.

“Holding a biomedical engineering degree, she worked as an assistant, but later developed her skills and performance, becoming a supervisor. She changed her speciality to industrial engineering … now she is charge of a division,” the manager told the attendees.

The participants highlighted the importance of training Jordanian university graduates and encouraging them to join the garment industry.

In January 2019, 75% of the total workers in the garment and apparel industry sector was migrant employment (51,500 out of 68,300 workers).

“The industry is one of Jordan’s promising sectors. Perhaps, not many Jordanians know that garment and apparel manufactured in Jordan are exported to many countries, including the United States,” said BWJ Programme Manager, Tareq Abu Qaoud.

“We should highlight the achievements of this sector, and raise awareness of its economic significance as well as potential to create jobs for Jordanians.”