Jordan has a plan to retain nation鈥檚 youth 鈥� can they sell it?
| Madaba and Dhiban, Jordan
All Anas Atef wants is to open a restaurant and live next door to his parents.
His family has other plans for the 22-year-old college student: leave the country.
鈥淭he last thing I want to do is leave my family and community behind, although they are all telling me to leave,鈥� Mr. Atef says. 鈥淚鈥檓 defying them and staying. But if the economy doesn鈥檛 turn around here, I won鈥檛 have a choice.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onEven a well-crafted plan can only go so far if the people it鈥檚 meant to help don鈥檛 have faith it will work. Jordan鈥檚 vision for a future with more employment opportunities 鈥� especially for youth 鈥� is facing a test of trust.
In a kingdom where family and clan come first, emigrating听as a life choice听was uncommon, even a taboo.
But amid an economic tailspin, concerned Jordanians are urging their sons and daughters to find opportunities abroad 鈥� and not to look back 鈥� upending social norms.听
In response,听Jordan鈥檚 leadership is racing to win over听Mr. Atef鈥檚听increasingly disenfranchised generation with a new economic plan.听Its goal: to听revive a moribund economy and reverse a potential brain drain as talent and capital leave the country for regional neighbors and the West.听听听
The country is short on听natural resources, water, and funds.听But the biggest deficit the leadership faces? Trust.
Lots of youth, few jobs
Jordan is a young country 鈥� 60% of people are under the age of 30.听Yet, while unemployment nationwide is听22%,听among听youth听it听hovers at 40%.
In an Arab Barometer survey released this summer, Jordan,听considered an oasis of peace and stability in a troubled region, nevertheless听ranked at the top of 10 Arab countries with citizens considering migration. Of those surveyed, 48% in Jordan said they were weighing emigration听鈥撎齧ore than in Lebanon,听which is听mired in an economic and humanitarian disaster (38%), or war-torn Libya (20%).
Roughly two-thirds of听those听Jordanians considering emigrating were between the ages of 18听and听29.
Jordanian youths cite broken trust among their reasons. They point to past crackdowns on protest movements focused on democracy and the economy, service cuts as proof that 鈥渢he government doesn鈥檛 want change,鈥�听increased taxation, and programs and economic schemes from a dozen governments over the past decade that never materialized.
Now the , a plan formed by experts and听launched by King Abdullah this summer, aims to overhaul the country鈥檚 economy and win over a skeptical public.听
The听plan was developed听after officials found that job growth in Jordan from 2010听to听2020 was 鈥減ractically zero,鈥� says an official involved with the plan.
It was a finding officials involved with the plan called 鈥渟cary.鈥�
Another听alarming data point: While Jordanians have long worked in Gulf countries, sending salaries back home and purchasing apartments, more citizens were leaving for good, taking their talent and income with them.
For four months, a team of听500 experts听assembled by the Royal Court听hashed out a plan to overhaul听the economy, boost income,听and听enhance quality of life.
The Vision aims to shift job growth from the debt-loaded public sector to the private sector by removing the bureaucratic obstacles听and听heavy taxation that have strangled growth and investment 鈥� and听prevented听many tech-savvy young Jordanians from starting businesses.
One core goal听is to help create听jobs for the 100,000 Jordanians entering the job market annually for the next decade,听which听would prevent unemployment from climbing further, and likely keep it at 20%.
What makes this plan different, advocates say,听is a royal guarantee of sorts, a break from a traditionally hands-off palace. Rather than leave implementation of the Vision solely to听a听revolving door of king-appointed governments, the Royal Court is acting as a facilitator听to ensure听there is progress.
The government has yet to come up with an action plan for the Vision or even a budget. The Royal Court and private sector are promoting the plan on their own.
Town hall
Jordan has been sending members of the private sector 鈥� men and women who are leaders in their fields and听who听helped craft the plan 鈥� to roll out the Vision in town halls across the country.
But听it has been a tough听sell.
On an October afternoon in Madaba, 30 miles south of Amman, 40 young women and 10 young men 鈥� university students and unemployed graduates 鈥� and a dozen concerned parents gathered for a town hall meeting at the local headquarters of听the听We Are All Jordan Youth Commission, a youth initiative launched by King Abdullah in 2006.
Two Vision planners 鈥� Fadel El-Zubi,听an听agriculture expert and former official听at the United Nation鈥檚 Food and Agriculture Organization, and Dr. Salma al Jaouni, CEO of Jordan鈥檚听health care accreditation council 鈥� energetically laid out the new plan and听its promise to unlock听young Jordanians鈥櫶齪otential.
鈥淗uman resources听are听Jordan鈥檚 best resource. This Vision facilitates their potential, solutions, and innovations,鈥� Mr. Zubi says.听
鈥淛ordan has high unemployment and high taxes. How can this Vision be activated when we face such challenges?鈥� shouted听a young woman.
鈥淲ith all our respect to you as guests to our town: Why should we believe you this time?鈥� said another.
鈥淢y son is a chemical engineer, and he has been unemployed for six years,鈥� said a sheikh in a gold-trimmed beige听abaya听cloak. 鈥淎ll we hear is eloquent words from government, and watch unemployment, poverty, and hunger rise. We want to see results.鈥�
Mr. Atef, the college student,听who was present that day,听listened intensely to the presentation,听seeking insight into听the country鈥檚 economic future.
Unlike his friends who have left for far corners of the globe 鈥撎齮o听Saudi Arabia, Japan, the听United States听鈥� he wants to stay.
鈥淚 wanted to hear if they had real steps to the future, something to get hopeful about,鈥� Mr. Atef听says later.听鈥淭he proof will be acts on the ground.鈥�
Ruba Abu Hani,听like the majority of her classmates, has been unemployed since she graduated with an English degree from an Amman university three years ago.
She wants to open an early education nursery and preschool and employ fresh graduates, but she lacks funds. Vision advocates say the plan would link her to a bank, but the lack of involvement by young people in the Vision 鈥� and听in听wider policymaking in Jordan 鈥� leaves her pessimistic.
鈥淧eople who have no connection to our generation听or听understand us are making the policies,鈥澨齅s. Abu Hani听says. 鈥淧arliament, the government, no one represents us. They can鈥檛 help us; we have to help ourselves. They just need to give us a chance to do so.鈥�
Wanting to stay
Abdullah Awaideh is the type of young Jordanian the Vision says it is targeting.
The recent engineering graduate volunteers at multiple international NGOs, is a member of the Jordan National Women鈥檚 Commission youth board, and gives civics lessons to ninth- and 10th-graders听on how to move past tribal ties when voting for local representatives. He wants to open a nongovernmental organization to empower youths and organize community service.
Last year, when his father urged him to apply for the U.S. visa lottery to migrate and 鈥渇ind his future,鈥澨齅r.听Awaideh refused, sparking a monthslong argument he now jokingly calls 鈥渁 family war.鈥�
鈥淏efore, leaving the country for good was discouraged. Now my father is telling me, 鈥榊ou have no future prospects here. Go abroad to start your life,鈥欌�� Mr.听Awaideh says.
鈥淏ut I want to give back to my community and my country. I know that if I stay there is a chance people like me can work toward positive change,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f we leave, that change will never happen.鈥�
Success can be had, some say.
Some 15 miles south of Madaba,听Jaafer Al Kawamleh has turned his passion听for听hiking and adventure tourism in nearby gorges and waterfalls into a career, and听he听now manages the Wadi Hidan Adventure Center and a separate campsite several miles outside his hometown Dhiban.
鈥淭he opportunities are there, you just have to create them and take them,鈥� he says.
Mr. Atef, the would-be restaurateur,听says he is 鈥済iving Jordan two years.鈥�
鈥淚f I feel like things are improving, I will stay and try to forge my own career. If not, I will have to leave.鈥�
As for the civics-minded听Mr.听Awaideh,听he too has听a backup plan in case authorities reject his application for an NGO license: apply for a U.S. visa.听听
鈥淚 have long been against emigrating, but this is becoming my option of last resort,鈥� he says with a pained smile. 鈥淵ou have to keep all options open in order to find your future. But we hope our future paths will return us home. Eventually.鈥�
