The garment industry in Jordan has seen several important changes during the past year. All stakeholders’ efforts of the past decade have been rewarded by the removal of Jordan from the U.S. list of countries still witnessing forced labour within their borders. Additionally, the newly-signed agreement between the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Health entrusting MoL officials to inspect the housing units of migrant garment workers has been the breakthrough many have been waiting for. But the industry cannot lose momentum. In 2017, Better Work Jordan and the stakeholders must prepare to reach new and even more ambitious goals to mirror the maturity of Jordan’s garment industry. Stakeholders need to prepare for the upcoming factory-level public reporting that, though still new, is something we are confident will give fresh impetus to businesses, especially in light of the international dimension in which the sector finds itself. The stakeholders and Better Work Jordan remain committed to addressing high unemployment rates in Jordan by promoting decent work opportunities in the garment sector, especially to support female employment in rural areas. Increasing the productivity of the country’s satellite factories, decreasing unemployment in Jordan and including Syrian refugees in the workforce will be some of main goals in 2017.
The Annual Report 2017 from Better Work Jordan is meant to capture the present compliance status of its participating factories and the garment industry in Jordan. This report is not only presented to share a snapshot of the industry, but also to inform future discussions and actions. The Better Work Jordan team hopes that the reader finds this report informative, and that the industry stakeholders will proactively address some of the areas of non-compliance and challenges highlighted in this report.
Please read here the statement of the PAC about this report.