A series of discussion panels concluded in several governorates on Sunday after examining the outcomes of a draft research study titled "Assessment of the social and economic impact of COVID-19 on youth employability in Jordan”, prepared by the Phenix Centre for Economics and Informatics Studies.

The centre organised these panels as part of the youth participation and employment project implemented in cooperation with Oxfam under the framework of the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme, according to a statement released by the organisers on Monday.

The study showed that economic sectors with high youth participation, such as tourism, transport and services, reduced the number of their employees due to the pandemic crisis. 

Discussions also showed that SMEs, which represent some 95 per cent of registered companies in Jordan and employ around 60 per cent of the Jordanian workforce, suffered due to the pandemic-induced defence orders and lockdowns. 

Participants, whose number exceeded 100 from Madaba, Tafileh, Karak and Balqa, called for reopening the tourism sector and drafting a recovery plan for the sector with a focus on directing investments to the tourism sector to provide new opportunities. 

They also called for preparing a plan for agricultural investment, including the possibility to use Treasury lands by youth, offering subisidies to farmers, and guiding farmers to diversify their products.