Implications of Bi-Lateral Labour Agreements on the Jordanian Labour Market
Translated title
Implications of Bilateral Labour Agreements on the Jordanian Labour Market
Author
Petersen, Ulrik Haber
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-10-15
Pages
77
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan Jordans bilaterale arbejdsaftaler påvirker et i forvejen presset arbejdsmarked med høj arbejdsløshed og lav arbejdsdeltagelse, især blandt kvinder. På trods af høj arbejdsløshed rekrutterer Arbejdsministeriet hvert år migrantarbejdere til lavtlønnede, ofte ufaglærte sektorer med svage arbejdsvilkår, som mange jordanere fravælger. Analysen argumenterer for, at dette bidrager til en tydelig segmentering af arbejdsmarkedet, hvor højtuddannede placeres i en primær sektor og ufaglærte i en sekundær sektor, samt for en fragmentering skabt af aftalernes differentierede rettigheder og lønninger efter nationalitet – selv for identiske job. Afhandlingen peger på negative konsekvenser for både migrantarbejdere og jordanere, herunder løn- og rettighedsforskelle og en hjerneflugt af højtuddannede jordanere (omkring 800.000 er udvandret siden 1970’erne), med økonomiske følgevirkninger. Studiet bygger på feltarbejde i Jordan med kvalitative, semistrukturerede interviews og anvender en internationalt politisk-økonomisk ramme (realistisk tradition) samt duale arbejdsmarkedsteori for at belyse løn, arbejdsvilkår, arbejdsrettigheder og regulering.
This thesis examines how Jordan’s bilateral labour agreements shape an already strained labour market marked by high unemployment and low labour force participation, particularly among women. Despite high unemployment, the Ministry of Labour annually recruits migrant workers into low-wage, often unskilled sectors with weak working conditions that many Jordanians avoid. The analysis argues that this contributes to a clear segmentation of the labour market, with highly educated workers in a primary sector and unskilled workers in a secondary sector, and to fragmentation driven by differentiated rights and wages by nationality set in the agreements—even for identical jobs. The thesis highlights negative implications for both migrant and Jordanian workers, including disparities in pay and rights and a brain drain of highly educated Jordanians (around 800,000 have emigrated since the 1970s), with economic consequences. The study draws on fieldwork in Jordan using qualitative semi-structured interviews and applies an international political economy (realist) approach and dual labour market theory to assess wages, working conditions, labour rights, and regulation.
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