The unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2020 stood at 23.9 per cent, up by 4.8 per cent compared with the same period of 2019, the Department of Statistics (DoS) said on Monday.

The unemployment rate among men in the aforementioned period amounted to 21.2 per cent, compared with 33.6 per cent among women. The rates increased by 4.1 per cent and 6.1 per cent among males and females, respectively, the DoS noted in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The unemployment rate among holders of university degrees stood at 27.7 per cent, the department said, noting that 53.1 per cent of unemployed individuals hold a secondary school certificate and higher.

The DoS said that a total of 46.9 per cent of unemployed people hold educational qualifications that are lower than a secondary certificate.

The unemployment rate also differed according to gender, as the rate of unemployed males who hold a bachelor’s degree and higher reached 25.2 per cent, where the percentage increased to 77 per cent among females who hold at least a bachelor’s degree.

The highest unemployment rates were registered in the 15-19 and 20-24 age categories with 53.1 and 45 per cent, respectively.

Geographically, Tafileh topped the list of unemployment rate among the 12 governorates registering 28.5 per cent, while Karak recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the Kingdom with 18.4 per cent.