"Jordan garment workers at the crosshairs of US tariffs", 3 July 2025

“I’m afraid I’ll lose my job,” says Naeem, 33, an Indian man who has been living and working in a Jordanian garment factory for six years. “It’s like the Covid days,”...

Like Naeem, a majority of these workers face a precarious future because of US President Donald Trump’s April 2 Liberation Day announcement of “global reciprocal tariffs” on imports from a host of countries...

Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply spokesman Yanal Al-Barmawi tells TRT World that the government is still negotiating with the US to reconsider the tariffs imposed on Jordanian exports, noting that “Jordan has strong relations with the United States in various fields”...

“We must take urgent action to diversify our trade partnerships and search for alternative markets like Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Eastern Europe, to reduce our dependence on the US market and mitigate the impact of this decision on the industrial sector,” Al-Shoubaki tells TRT World.

Local factory worker Amina...from Jerash in Jordan, has been working in the garment industry since 2001. Single and without children, she tells TRT World that she supports her unemployed brother on a monthly salary of $324.

“I work eight-hour shifts under difficult conditions that have affected my health. I suffer from slipped disc and varicose veins,” says Amina, adding that she covers her own medical expenses...

“When I meet my target, management often asks me to help others, and I can’t say no,” she says. “If I don’t, I can be easily replaced if demand increases. And if demand slows down, I can still be laid off.”

Labour union member Mirvat Jamhawi, too, fears job loss, but said local workers may be spared.

“If those tariffs hit the garment sector, Asian labourers will be the worst off,” Jamhawi tells TRT World. “Hundreds of workers will be let go when their contracts end.” ...