Unemployment rate in Amman 12.8%

The Kingdom’s unemployment rate rose to 12.8 percent in the first 3 months of 2013, compared to 11.4 percent in the same period of 2012, according to a Department of S tatistics (DoS) report. According to the report, the unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2013 rose 0.3 percent compared with the fourth quarter of 2012, when it stood at 12.5 percent. Further, the unemployment rate was higher for holders of university degrees, standing at 17.2 percent. Also, it reported that 0.8 percent of the unemployed were illiterate, while 46.1 percent had not completed their high school education. The report added that the highest unemployment rate was among the age groups of 15-19 and 20-24 years-old, standing at 36.1 percent and 30.1 percent, respectively. Additionally, the highest unemployment rate of 19.8 percent was recorded in the Maan Governorate, while the lowest was in the Jerash Governorate at 9.2 percent.