The International Labour Organization’s Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) and Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research (Oslo, Norway) have carried out an assessment to identify the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the most vulnerable workers in Jordan including Syrian refugees and informal workers. 

The assessment found, among other things, that informal employment was higher among Syrians (52%) than Jordanians (35%). Also, fewer Syrians (24%) have security coverage facilitated by employers than Jordanians (63%). 35% of the Syrians who had jobs before the pandemic lost their jobs permanently, as compared to 17 % of the Jordanians. Finally, more Syrian refugees have suffered income loss and their average income fell below the minimum wage of 220 Jordanian Dinar (about approximately USD 310).

Among the recommendations that the assessment proposes is the need for moving from the informal to the formal economy to minimize the vulnerabilities of workers before, during and after crisis situations. The paper further recommends that employers should respond to workers' concerns regarding health and safety risks in the workplace.