Basic Facts

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a country in Southwestern Asia among the rocky desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula. It extends an area of 89,318 square kilometers, and is bounded to the north by Syria, to the east by Iraq, to the southeast and south by Saudi Arabia, and to the west by Israel. Jordan’s economy is relatively diversified, with trade and finance accounting for nearly 1/3rd of the total GDP.

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Jordan.

Capital :
Amman
Currency :
Jordanian Dinar (JOD, د.ا)
Languages spoken :
Arabic
Population :
10.27 million (2021 est.)
Minimum wage 2023 :
JOD 260 (monthly)
Cost of Living index :
$$ (52 of 139 nations)
Payroll Frequency :
Monthly
VAT - standard rate :
16%
GDP - real growth rate :
2.2% (2021 est.)

Statutory Holidays

The holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2024.

Date
Holiday Name
Extra Information
January 1
New Year's Day
March 31
Easter Sunday
Movable
April 1
Easter Monday
Movable
April 10-12
Eid al-Fitr Holiday
Movable
May 1
Labor Day
May 25
Independence Day
June 15-17
Eid al-Adha Holiday
Movable
July 7
Islamic New Year
Movable
September 15
Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
Movable
December 25
Christmas Day

Contract Sharing Time


The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Jordan is 14 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.

NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.

What You Need To Know


  • For work of hazardous nature, the worker must undergo necessary medical examinations before joining the work or afterward to ensure they are free of occupational and communicable diseases.
  • Wage discrimination or the payment of salaries less than minimum wage is punishable with a fine of no less than JOD 500 and no more than JOD 1,000 per case.

Labor Conditions


Working Hours

The worker should not work for more than eight hours per day or 48 hours per week. The maximum weekly working hours and rest periods may be distributed so that their total does not exceed 11 hours per day. Friday of every week should be the weekly holiday for the worker, unless the nature of the work requires otherwise.

Overtime

The employer may employ the worker for more than the daily or weekly working hours in any of the following cases, provided that the worker receives additional wages:

  • Carrying out the annual inventory of the institution, preparing the budget and accounts, and preparing for sale at reduced prices, provided the number of days does not exceed 30 days per year and the actual working hours do not exceed 10 hours per day;
  • In order to avoid the occurrence of a loss in goods or any other material subject to damage, avoid the risks of technical work, or in order to receive, deliver or transport certain materials, provided that the number of days does not exceed 30 days in one year.

For each additional working hour, the employee is paid no less than 125% of their normal wage.

Probation Period

The employer may employ any worker under probation in order to verify their efficiency and capabilities to carry out the required work, provided that the probationary period, in any case, does not exceed three months.

Termination Notice Period

If the work contract is for a limited period, it ends on its own with the expiry of its term. A fixed-term contract cannot be terminated by either party before its expiration except for cases of gross misconduct.

For indefinite contracts, if one of the parties wishes to terminate the employment contract for an indefinite period, they must notify the other party in writing of their desire to terminate at least one month in advance.

Both parties can terminate the contract without notice due to the other’s gross misconduct.

Leave / Time Off

Annual Leave

Every employee has the right to an annual leave with full pay for a period of 14 days for each year of service, unless more than that is agreed upon. The annual leave becomes 21 days if the employee has spent five consecutive years with the same employer.

Sick Leave

Each employee is entitled to a paid leave of 14 days per year based on a physician report approved by the establishment. The leave is paid entirely by the employer. The leave may be renewed for another 14 days with full pay if the employee is a hospital patient based on a physician report approved by establishments with less than 20 workers. The pay is entirely the responsibility of the employer.

Parental Leave

A woman who works in an institution that employs 10 or more employees has the right to take an unpaid leave for a period not exceeding one year to devote herself to raising her children, and she has the right to return to her work after the end of this leave, provided that she loses this right if she works for a wage in any other institution during that period.

 

Maternity Leave

A working woman has the right to take maternity leave with full pay before and after delivery, for a total of 10 weeks. The leave is paid by social security’s maternity insurance scheme.

 

Paternity Leave

The employee is entitled to a paternity leave of three days, fully paid by the employer.

Other Types of Paid Leave

Labor Culture Leave (اجازة الثقافة العمالية)

The employee is entitled to a paid leave of 14 days per year to join a labor culture course approved by the Ministry or the General Federation of Trade Unions based on the nomination of the employer or the director of the establishment in coordination with the concerned union.

Hajj Leave (اجازة الحج)

The employee is entitled to a paid leave of 14 days to perform the Hajj. This leave is only given once during the service period.

Unpaid Leave

Study Leave (الاجازة الدراسية)

The employee has the right to take a leave of four months without pay if they join a university, institute, or college that is officially recognized for study.

Statutory Benefits

The Jordanian social security insurances include the following:

  • Work injury insurance;
  • Maternity insurance;
  • Unemployment insurance;
  • Old age, disability, and death insurance.

Employers contribute 14.25% to social security, while employees contribute 7.5%. The detailed breakdown is as follows:

Types of Insurances Employer Contributions
Work injury insurance 2%
Maternity insurance 0.75%
Unemployment insurance 0.5%
Old-age, disability, and death insurances* 11%
Total 14.25%

Health Insurance

There is no mandatory health insurance for employees in Jordan. The Government of Jordan is the principal financier of healthcare services and operates two separate public insurers that cumulatively cover 90% of the population.

Other Insurances

Accident Insurance

Employers contribute 2% to the work injury insurance per month.

The benefits of work injury insurance include medical care such as medical treatment, hospitalization costs, transportation, and rehabilitation services.

Unemployment Insurance

Employers contribute 0.5% per month to unemployment insurance, while employees contribute 1%.

To be entitled to unemployment insurance, the insured must have made at least 36 contributions prior to the date of their entitlement and paid at least one contribution toward unemployment insurance.

Public Pension

Employers contribute 11% to the old-age, disability, and death insurances, while employees contribute 6.5%. Establishments that employ workers in one of the hazardous occupations are obligated to contribute an additional 1%.

The retirement age is 60 years of age for males and 55 years of age for females. An old-age pension is payable to an insured who has reached their retirement age with at least 180 contributions, 60 of which are actual contributions.

Other Statutory Benefits

Maternity Insurance

Employers contribute 0.75% to maternity insurance.

The maternity insurance scheme pays the maternity leave for employees.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this Country Guide is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The contents of this Country Guide contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Country Guide without seeking the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for actions you take or fail to take based on any content included in this Country Guide.

Information provided in this Country Guide is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. WorkMotion Software GmbH periodically adds, changes, improves, updates, or removes information without notice, and assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the contents of this Country Guide. This Country Guide may contain links to other websites. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.