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Middle East and Central Asia > Jordan

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 21 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity x
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Cover IMF Working Papers
Harnessing Digital Technologies to Promote SMEs in the MENAP Region
Ms. Inutu Lukonga
Policy makers in the MENAP region have been formulating policies and designing programs to develop small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with a view to create jobs and achieve inclusive growth. But while the programs have helped increase the number of enterprises, growth of SMEs continues to face barriers to growth. As a result, microenterprises predominate and SMEs contribution to employment remains below potential. Partial implementation of reforms explain some of the underperformance, but frictions in strategy design also played an important role. Sustaining current reforms is, therefore, not sufficient to achieve inclusive growth. Digital technologies have potential to boost SMEs productivity and growth and economies are rapidly digitalizing, thus SMEs need to embrace digital solutions to compete and survive. Therefore, for SMEs to be effective engines of inclusive growth, a rethinking of the SME development strategy is needed that makes SMEs’ digital transformation a priority.
Keywords:
WP; SME growth; MENAP country; financing SMEs; SME sector; SME support policy; SMEs in MENAP; SME lending; government service; digital economy; Small and medium enterprises; Business environment; Employment; Digitalization; Global; Middle East; North Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Digital Technologies; Inclusive Growth; MENAP Region; SME strategy; private equity; SME policy; SME data
Cover IMF Working Papers
Private Sector Job Creation in MENA: Prioritizing the Reform Agenda
Mr. Benedicte Baduel
,
Carolin Geginat
, and
Ms. Gaelle Pierre
This paper examines the extent to which firms in selected MENA countries reported being constrained by the business environment around the time of the Arab Spring and the extent to which these constraints affected their employment performance. The results suggest that small firms in MENA faced more structural constraints than similar firms in other regions. We also find that MENA firms’ weaker job creation can be explained in great part by the macroeconomic environment and structural constraints. Low GDP growth, falling external competitiveness, corruption, lack of access to finance and poor access to electricity are found to explain a significant part of the lack of employment growth in MENA firms compared to their peers.
Keywords:
WP; employment growth; World Bank enterprises survey; enterprise survey; firms' characteristic; credit constraint; employment performance; firm exit; firms in Mena; medium-sized firm; SMEs; MENA; Arab Countries in Transition; private sector; employment; employment creation; World Bank enterprise survey; micro firm; Job creation; Business environment; Labor productivity; Electricity; Central and Eastern Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Second Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, an Extension of the Arrangement, and Rephasing of Access-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Jordan
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper discusses Jordan’s Second Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, an extension of the arrangement, and rephasing of access. Discussions highlight that the Jordanian authorities have preserved macroeconomic stability, maintain a prudent monetary policy, and ensured a sound financial system. Jordan faces a challenging environment—including low economic growth, high unemployment, and elevated public debt—underscoring the importance of swiftly implementing policies and reforms to bring public debt on a downward path, boost investment and productivity, and enhance inclusive growth. The enactment of long needed growth-enhancing reforms is encouraging, including the secured transactions law, the bankruptcy law, and the business-inspections law. The international community has strongly supported the new government’s commitment to maintain the reform momentum, strengthen growth, and reduce public debt. The London Initiative in February 2019 has helped unlock essential budget grants and concessional financing to support the authorities’ reform program.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; executive board assessment; electricity company NEPCO; NEPCO; reform effort; reform; access budget grant; reform public sector; telecommunication company; Income and capital gains taxes; Income tax systems; Arrears; Global
Cover Departmental Papers
Opportunity for All: Promoting Growth and Inclusiveness in the Middle East and North Africa
Miss Catriona Purfield
,
Mr. Harald Finger
,
Mrs. Karen Ongley
,
Mr. Benedicte Baduel
,
Carolina Castellanos
,
Ms. Gaelle Pierre
,
Vahram Stepanyan
, and
Mr. Erik Roos
This publication brings together a set of IMF papers that prepared as backgrounds for the various sessions of the conference and will help put into broader dissemination channels the results of this important conference. An official IMF publication is well disseminated into academic and institutional libraries and book channels. The IMF metadata will also make the conference papers more discoverable online.
Keywords:
DPPP; DP; private sector; IMF staff calculation; labor market; job creation
Cover Departmental Papers
Opportunité pour tous: Croissance et inclusion au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique du Nord
Miss Catriona Purfield
,
Mr. Harald Finger
,
Mrs. Karen Ongley
,
Mr. Benedicte Baduel
,
Carolina Castellanos
,
Ms. Gaelle Pierre
,
Vahram Stepanyan
, and
Mr. Erik Roos
This publication brings together a set of IMF papers that prepared as backgrounds for the various sessions of the conference and will help put into broader dissemination channels the results of this important conference. An official IMF publication is well disseminated into academic and institutional libraries and book channels. The IMF metadata will also make the conference papers more discoverable online.
Keywords:
DPPP; DP; private sector; IMF staff calculation; labor market; job creation
Cover Departmental Papers
Opportunity for All: Promoting Growth and Inclusiveness in the Middle East and North Africa
Miss Catriona Purfield
,
Mr. Harald Finger
,
Mrs. Karen Ongley
,
Mr. Benedicte Baduel
,
Carolina Castellanos
,
Ms. Gaelle Pierre
,
Vahram Stepanyan
, and
Mr. Erik Roos
This publication brings together a set of IMF papers that prepared as backgrounds for the various sessions of the conference and will help put into broader dissemination channels the results of this important conference. An official IMF publication is well disseminated into academic and institutional libraries and book channels. The IMF metadata will also make the conference papers more discoverable online.
Keywords:
DPPP; DP; private sector; IMF staff calculation; labor market; job creation; labor force; personal income; unemployment rate; Women; Inclusive growth; Global; Middle East; North Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; East Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper discusses the Syrian Refugee Crisis (SRC) and conflicts in Syria and Iraq have weighed on investor sentiment, tourism, and exports but the influx of Syrians is likely to have increased aggregate demand. Labor market conditions deteriorated after the massive influx of refugees and nontradable prices accelerated. The balance of payment suffered pressures on the non-oil current account, owing to lower exports of goods and services and higher imports. The SRC has increased the direct fiscal costs persistently by above one percent of GDP, which could double after counting for quality and capital deterioration. The negative impact is decreasing as the influx of Syrian refugees slowed and the stock pushed up aggregate demand. The influx of more than 10 percent of Jordan’s original population may have certainly increased consumption, particularly, over time as the incomers settled and the likelihood of returning to their home country diminishes. Unemployment grew the most in governorates that host most of the refugees.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Jordan; cost; price; GDP; tax; private sector institution; oil price; SSIF asset portfolio; resource restriction; IMF commodity price; Payroll tax; Financial inclusion; Employment; Labor markets; Tariffs; Global; Middle East; Central Asia; Europe; Africa
Cover IMF Working Papers
Middle East Transitions: A Long, Hard Road
Shahid Yusuf
Since the onset of the Arab Spring, economic uncertainty in Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Yemen (Arab Countries in Transition, ACTs) has slowed already sluggish growth; worsened unemployment, particularly of youth; undermined business confidence, affected tourist arrivals, and depressed domestic and foreign direct investment. Furthermore, political and social tensions have constrained reform efforts. Assessing policy options as presented in the voluminous literature on the Arab Spring and based on cross-country experience, this paper concludes that sustainable and inclusive growth calls for a two pronged approach: short term measures that revive growth momentum and partially allay popular concerns; complemented with efforts to adjust the public’s expectations and prepare the ground for structural reforms that will deliver the desired longer tem performance.
Keywords:
WP; labor market; private sector; export-led growth; Mena country; regime change; unemployment rate; economic transition; growth; youth unemployment; institutions; education; social safety nets; SMEs; SEZs; transaction costs; enterprise reform; anchor firm; density entry rate; on-the-job training; free trade zone; natural resource; Exports; Employment; Public sector; Manufacturing; East Asia; Global; Eastern Europe; Middle East; North Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This Selected Issues paper investigates the macroeconomic impact of the Syria crisis on Jordan. It is indicated that the crisis: (1) had an overall negative impact on measured output growth—although anecdotal evidence suggests possibly a positive impact on output in the informal sector; (2) contributed to inflationary pressures, particularly on rents; and (3) strained labor markets, mostly in the informal sector as refugees compete with locals for jobs. Although the crisis has put a strain on the external trade balance, the overall impact on the current account is not clear.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; IMF staff estimate; labor market; Syria crisis; labor market outcome; policy setting; Syria conflict; Tariffs; Employment; Electricity; Labor markets; Unemployment rate; Europe; Middle East; East Asia; North Africa; East Africa; Asia and Pacific
Cover Departmental Papers
Toward New Horizons: Arab Economic Transformation amid Political Transition
Mr. Harald Finger
and
Ms. Daniela Gressani

The changing political landscape in the Arab world has created opportunities for economic transformation by tackling long-standing economic issues. Nevertheless, three years after the onset of political transition, implementing necessary economic policies has proven to be challenging. This paper lays out key elements of economic policy reform for Arab countries in transition.

Keywords:
DPPP; DP; exchange rate; labor market; private sector; central bank; job creation; monetary policy; Exchange rate flexibility; Employment; Global; North Africa; East Asia; Europe; Central and Eastern Europe