Job centre opens in Jordan's Zaatari camp

Jordan's Syrian refugee camp has opened its first job centre, which aims to facilitate refugees' access to jobs across the kingdom.

The Zaatari Office for Employment was set up by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in co-operation with the Jordanian government.

Zaatari encompasses approximately 5.2 square kilometres of desert terrain near the kingdom's border with Syria and accommodates around 80,000 refugees --yet less than 3% have permits to work in Jordan.

The centre will give refugee workers an address to use when searching for jobs and applying for work permits, where they can receive all necessary information and benefit from expert support, said ILO co-ordinator Maha Katta.

"This is a ground-breaking development for the region," she said of the new job centre. "The ILO, with generous support from the EU, will expand this service to reach more refugees in Jordan who need our help."

The centre was established following the 2016 Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in London, where Jordan announced it had waived the fees required to obtain a work permit for Syrian refugees in a number of occupations open to foreign workers and simplified the documentation requirements.

Jordan was the first Arab country to make such a commitment to reduce barriers to legal employment of refugees, and vowed to create 200,000 jobs for Syrians.

"Increasing the number of work permits issued to refugees and easing the application process will help formalise the Syrian workforce and secure better working conditions for them," Katta said.

A boost to the economy

"Having an increased number of Syrians entering the labour market will positively impact the local economy and bring stability to refugee families," said UNHCR representative in Jordan Stefano Severe.

UNHCR, which manages work permits at Zaatari, also is working to increase the presence of women in the labour force by expanding employment opportunities for them.

Since the job centre opened, refugees have been lining up outside in the summer heat, waiting to submit their job applications.

Hundreds of refugees in Zaatari have already registered for one-month permits. Around 836 work permits have been issued over the past month, mostly for agricultural work.

"I feel secure now," said Sawsan, a refugee who said she was happy to be able to find a job. "This will help bring us stability and will change our lives for the better."

"We as refugees need to be treated like other immigrants," said Ahmad, a Syrian refugee. "While having the right to safety and refuge is important, we also have the right to work so we can secure a decent living for our families."

Through a specific database compiled by UNHCR, work permits will be recorded in order to facilitate the movement of the workers in and out of the camp.

The centre also will offer refugees counseling and employment advice and provide job-matching services, to help bring employers and refugees together.