Ammon – The representative of the leather and textile industries sector at the Jordan Chamber of Industry, Eng. Ihab Qadri, confirmed that the sector contributes 2.4 percent of the GDP directly.
He pointed out that the sector’s exports achieved remarkable growth over the past year by nearly 21 percent compared to 2021, to reach $2.3 billion.
He said that the sector, according to the data of the Social Security Corporation, employs approximately 76,000 male and female workers today, constituting 27 percent of the total employment in the industrial sector, while local employment constitutes approximately 26 thousand workers, or 34 percent of its total employment.
He added that the textile sector is considered one of the main priority sectors within the vision of economic modernization, and a main axis among high-value industries, as it seeks to strengthen its position locally and regionally, strengthen horizontal and vertical value chains, diversify exports geographically and commodities, replace expatriates with local labor and generate more job opportunities. new.
He pointed out that the vision included ambitious targets for the sector that would place it at the top of all economic sectors, in terms of employment, export growth and added value, foremost of which is an increase in added value by 10 percent annually, to reach about $3.83 billion in 2033, compared to $1.2 billion last year 2022.
Among the goals of the vision, according to Qadri, is to raise employment levels within the sector at an annual growth rate of 9.5 percent, bringing the total employment within it to approximately 225,000 male and female workers in 2033, i.e. generating 149,000 job opportunities for Jordanians in the next ten years.
He pointed out that the vision of economic modernization aims to raise production levels from $2.6 billion last year to about $8.8 billion in 2033, in addition to supporting exports with an annual increase of 12 percent to reach $7.3 billion in 2033, and the arrival of the value directed to the local market to approximately $1.5 billion. .
He noted that the objectives of the economic modernization vision focus on attracting investments in the leather and textile industry at an amount of $3.1 billion over the next ten years, with an average of $258 million in annual investments, in addition to improving worker productivity from $7.9 thousand to $8.3 thousand annually.
He drew attention to the sector’s most prominent priority initiatives within the vision of economic modernization, including the establishment of textile industries (vertical integration) that enable the industry to meet several requests for export markets during one season, and horizontal industries (other sectors), expanding the vocational training program and benefiting from the sector’s skills council.
He referred to other initiatives related to encouraging the employment of local talents, working to increase the percentage of Jordanians working in administrative positions in the sector, attracting investments, improving productivity and cost competitiveness, increasing interdependence between large and small operating companies, establishing a database, simplifying government procedures, preparing a detailed plan and unified governance for the sector.
And he indicated that achieving the initiatives and priorities for the sector included in the executive program for the vision of economic modernization during the next three years requires a clear-cut executive and dynamic action plan with a specific and detailed time frame, responding to rapid changes in opportunities and challenges and linking them with the sector strategy prepared by Jordan Industry in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply. .
Qadri stressed that the Jordan Chamber of Industry has sought during the past four years to implement everything that would support the growth and development of the sector and has achieved many priority initiatives.
He referred to the study prepared by the Chamber under the name “The Contribution of the Textile Sector to the National Economy” in cooperation with the International Labor Organization, which showed that the sector generates an added value of approximately 41.7 percent of the total production, distributed on capital returns, employee compensation, taxes and fees belonging to the government.
He explained that the study showed that the textile industries sector is one of the most labor-intensive and job-generating sectors, and it proved that every seven job opportunities created within it are capable of creating one job opportunity in other sectors.
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