Ex-Gazans in Jerash more often than others report being recruited on the street, which is
common practice, according to interviewees, for day labouring positions in Jordan: 4% of
ex-Gazans in Jerash report finding their current job in this way, compared to only 1% of
ex-Gazans outside Jerash and non-ex-Gazans. Given the prevalence of intermittent, seasonal and otherwise irregular conditions of employment in Jerash camp, this is a surprisingly low number. However, as we shall return to as we examine the employment situation
in Jerash camp through qualitative interviews in Part 3, people, particularly in agriculture,
are often re-hired by the same employer and it is likely that many such cases have been
recorded as obtaining a job through social networks, labelled ‘friends and relatives’ by the
survey.
In terms of finding work, there is a general sense, even amongst those employed, that
finding a job is difficult. However, this is particularly pronounced amongst (employed)
ex-Gazans in Jerash, with two thirds rating it as ‘very difficult’ 80 to find a replacement job
if they should lose their current one. This compares to 55% of non-ex-Gaza camp refugees
and 50% of ex-Gazans in other camps.
In sum, this chapter has shown that ex-Gazans in Jerash have somewhat lower labour
force participation, with a greater reliance on temporary and irregular work although education pays off in terms of formality and hence security of work. Ex-Gazans residing in
other camps stand out with particularly high labour force participation — by far the greatest of all refugee groups. Unemployment in Jerash camp is higher than the camp average
but the much lower wage income seems to be primarily due to the type of employment
Jerash residents have, often in sectors where they compete with low-paid migrant labour.
Part 3, therefore, focuses in more detail on the type of work and livelihoods ex-Gazans in
Jerash camp engage in.
80
The highest on a five-point scale ranging from very easy to very difficult.
‘Just getting by’
Ex-Gazans in Jerash and other refugee camps in Jordan
75
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