repair, where over a third of ex-Gazans elsewhere are employed 77. The same share of people in the three population groups, around one in ten, work in services 78.
Compared to other sectors, agriculture is primarily for people with low educational attainment (57% have elementary schooling or below), although they may well reside in
households where other members hold higher degrees (30% of agricultural workers reside
in households where at least one member has higher education, and another 9% live in
households with someone who has attained secondary education). In contrast, amongst
those employed within education, health and social services only 7% did not complete at
least basic schooling and two in three (67%) have attained a post-secondary degree.
Finally, Table 24 effectively shows the disadvantage of non-citizen status, as only 2%
of the ex-Gaza labour force, inside and outside Jerash camp alike, work in public administration contrasted with five times as many citizen Palestinian refugees.
Table 24 Industry. Percentage of all employed individuals aged 15 and above by ex-Gaza status (n=3,939).
Ex-Gazans,
Jerash
Other exGazans
Other Palestinian
refugees
All
Agriculture
13
1
2
2
Manufacturing
11
21
18
18
Construction
24
16
11
12
Trade and vehicle repair
15
36
21
22
Transportation
7
5
10
9
Services
13
10
12
12
Education, health and social services
10
7
14
13
Public administration
2
2
10
9
Other
3
2
2
2
Total
100
100
100
100
n
242
350
3,347
3,939
In fact, access to public employment is an even larger advantage than suggested by these
figures as employment in other industries can also include public-sector jobs, e.g. teaching and various health occupations, as shown in Table 24, which provides information on
employer rather than industry. While one in five non-ex-Gaza refugees works for the government, only approximately 3% of ex-Gazans do. This is a particular disadvantage to exGazans in Jerash camp. The quarterly labour force surveys (DoS and Fafo, 2015) show that
in 2010 to 2014, approximately 40% of the labour force in Jerash governorate worked in
the public sector, as compared with a national average of 28%. In Souf camp, where, as
noted above, the vast majority are Jordanian citizens, 33% of those working report the
government as their employer.
A higher share of ex-Gazans from Jerash camp than other ex-Gazans (but a lower share
than amongst other Palestinian refugees) work in the education, health and social work
‘Trade’ covers wholesale and retail sale of all kinds of goods. However, the majority work in
shops and on market stalls where foodstuffs are the predominant merchandise. In addition to people working with the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and some employed in the sale of
vehicles, a few individuals employed in real estate business is also grouped into this ‘industry’.
78
Main forms of ‘services’ are accommodation and food services (for instance work in restaurants
and mobile stalls), communications and information systems as well as finance and insurance. A
majority work within food services.
77
‘Just getting by’
Ex-Gazans in Jerash and other refugee camps in Jordan
69
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