Jordan / Significant numbers not paid minimum wage

A significant number of workers are paid less than the minimum wage, with 1.4 per cent of the workforce earning less than JD100 ($141) a month, the Department of Statistics (DoS) said on Tuesday.

According to a recent DoS study that covered 2012, 12.4 per cent of working Jordanians get less than JD200 ($282) a month, and nearly 17 per cent of unemployed citizens spend around two years looking for a job.

“The report’s findings were close to those of 2011, which revealed that 44.6 per cent of the local workforce is being paid less that JD300 ($424) a month,” DoS said in a statement to the media.

Meanwhile, 35.4 per cent of workers earn more than JD500 ($700) a month, the study said, adding that nearly 6 per cent of the workforce spends more than 60 hours at work during the week, while another 6 per cent spend more than 10 hours a day at work.

Around 61 per cent of Jordanians work between 40 and 60 hours in a six-day working week, according to the report.

Article 56 of the Labour Law stipulates working hours must not exceed 48 hours per week. Employees can work additional hours with their consent, provided that they receive overtime pay.

The report highlighted that most of the high salaries are being paid in the real estate sector and the scientific, technical and vocational fields.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor 

via Significant numbers not paid minimum wage in Jordan | Al Bawaba.