to compensate for restrictions faced in accessing higher-paid jobs by working more: they stand out with particularly high labour force participation, they appear to leave school to start working younger and also to compensate by working more hours per week. Therefore, although unemployment in Jerash camp is somewhat higher than the camp average, the lack of wage income and poor socioeconomic conditions are first and foremost due to the type of work and employment Jerash residents engage in. The local labour force in Jerash governorate is heavily reliant on government employment, a particular disadvantage for ex-Gazans residing in Jerash camp. Their disadvantage is acutely illustrated by the fact that in close by Souf camp, home to predominantly citizen Palestinian refugees, a third of the entire labour force works for the government. With government employment considered more ‘family friendly’, the limited access appears to disproportionately impact upon women in Jerash camp; indeed, the particularly high female labour force participation in Souf camp is likely explained by their greater access to public employment. Without benefiting from government employment, ex-Gazans turn to the private sector. Syndicate regulations tend to restrict professional licencing for non-citizens; however ex-Gazans in Jerash are also at a particular disadvantage when it comes to other nonprofessional private sector jobs as Jerash town and governorate do not house any major industrial areas, such as those located in Amman or Zarqa. The costs and irregularity of public transport makes commuting for work in relatively low-paid industrial areas infeasible and renting temporary accommodation elsewhere likewise so. Not surprisingly, therefore, the trend that ex-Gazans are more likely to work inside camps than other Palestinian camp refugees is particularly pronounced in Jerash. Services and goods inside camps are generally cheaper than the equivalent outside camps. However, in other camps, including Hitteen where a significantly higher proportion of the labour force works outside and brings money into the camp, interviewees claim the turn-over and profit of small camp businesses to be higher. Furthermore, the integration of Hitteen camp into a more thriving local economy is widely perceived to make businesses and opportunities inside Hitteen more profitable. Meanwhile, shops and businesses in Jerash camp primarily rely on and cater for a relatively small community with little disposable income and purchasing power. Outsiders that do come to Jerash camp for trade, predominantly from neighbouring villages, do so because of the very low prices here. Ex-Gazans in both Jerash and Hitteen consistently emphasised this major distinction between the isolated and poor economy of Jerash camp and other camps, such as Hitteen. With limited opportunities in reaching industrial areas, and without government employment to compensate, ex-Gazans from Jerash camp over-rely on temporary, irregular, and seasonal jobs when they do work outside the camp. A third of the entire Jerash camp labour force — more than twice that of other ex-Gazans and Palestinian camp refugees — rely on such work. Unskilled agriculture and construction work, in particular, account for much of this employment, where daily wages fail to compensate for the irregular nature of the work. Although Jerash ex-Gazans more often possess academic higher education, there is frequently under-employment amongst Jerash ex-Gazans. Highly educated women, for example, can be found working as ‘volunteers’ in CBOs or in private schools where their tenure and rights are precarious, and around 15% of construction workers hold, as seen, secondary or higher education degrees. Given the difficulties of making ends meet, ex-Gazans in Jerash camp frequently express a strong desire to leave the camp. Residents have, of course, moved elsewhere in Jordan and also historically benefitted from labour migration. However, the costs and risks associated with relocation were perceived to be insurmountable for many. The lower Fafo Report 2019:34 126