Work permits give hope to Syrian refugees in Jordan

When Muhammed al-Haraki arrived in Jordan from Syria in 2012 after the outbreak of violence in Daraa, his biggest concern was securing daily sustenance and housing for his five children.

At first, the 45-year-old father sought aid from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and charities, he told Al-Mashareq, but it was not sufficient.

He started looking for work, he said, but obtaining a work permit was near impossible, and he was only able to work intermittently for a few days at a time in restaurants and shops for fear of being arrested.

Things began to improve for al-Haraki when the Jordanian government announced it would waive all costs associated with obtaining work permits for Syrians for a three-month period last year, which has since been extended.

Work permit fees ranged from $170 to $1,270, depending on the sector, according to an International Rescue Committee (IRC) report issued in February titled, "Creating Jobs for Syrian Refugees: A Case Study of the Jordan Compact".

This cost burden more often fell on refugees than employers, the report said.

After receiving a work permit in February, al-Haraki said he is now working in household repairs and tiling.

"I was always apprehensive because I was working illegally," he said. "However, after obtaining a work permit things have improved, and I feel very at ease."

Obtaining work permits

The government has issued roughly 37,000 of the 50,000 work permits it promised to refugees in the programme's first year, the IRC report said.

"The government is issuing work permits to Syrians free of charge regardless of whether they live inside or outside the camps," Ministry of Labour spokesman Mohammed al-Khatib told Al-Mashareq.

The issuance of permits is a regulatory measure to protect the rights of refugees as they are issued in accordance with the provisions of the labour law, he said.

Syrians can obtain work permits through employers who apply on their behalf. But permits are available for limited sectors only, such as construction and agriculture, as foreigners are prohibited from working in many professions.

Despite the fee waiver, the IRC report said, refugees have reported that the process to get a work permit includes at least a dozen steps that both they and their employers must take.

There also is a deep misunderstanding and mistrust among Syrian refugees about what the work permit process entails, the report said, and the consequences of applying. Refugees have expressed fear of losing access to humanitarian assistance or third country resettlement opportunities.

Abboud al-Homsi, a Syrian refugee who arrived in Jordan in 2013, lives in Amman's al-Hashemi al-Shamali district with his wife and three children.

After receiving his work permit, he told Al-Mashareq, he was able to get a job as a building guard.

"I am not fearful as I used to be, because I hold a legal and official permit," he said.

"Although the issuance of a work permit is free and easy, many of my Syrian friends are afraid to obtain one out of fear that they would lose the aid they receive from international organisations, and some want to emigrate outside the country," he said.

To assuage these fears, international relief organisations must offer refugees reassurance they will not lose this support, General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries president Fathallah al-Omrani told Al-Mashareq in early February.

Greater efforts must be made to address these concerns, he said.

Creating job opportunities

Granting work permits to Syrian refugees has great positive aspects for the Jordanian economy, but "also poses a challenge", said economist Husam Ayesh.

"Jordan made a commitment to donor countries that it would grant work permits to 50,000 Syrian refugees in 2017," he told Al-Mashareq. "It is a main prerequisite for Jordan to receive the grants and aid pledged by international donors at the London Donor Conference held in early 2016."

"When Syrians are granted work permits they become part of the economy and more productive, and this helps boost consumption in general and stimulates the economy," he said.

On the other hand, he said, the government faces the challenge of creating job opportunities, because the unemployment rate among Jordanians is nearly 16%.

"Enabling Syrians to work unquestionably yields economic benefits, but attention also must be given to the establishment of new projects and attraction of new investments to create employment for Jordanian youth," he said.