The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a western Asian country located on the East Bank of the Jordan River. The official language is Arabic, although many dialects and variations are spoken throughout the country. The Jordanian economy has robust finance, construction and communication industries and a population of 10.1 million people.
Employment contracts in Jordan must be in Arabic, with an original copy generated for each party. If the employee is a foreigner, then a third signed translated copy is required and should be attached to the foreign employee’s Arabic contract. There are two kinds of contracts in Jordan. An indefinite contract has a start date but no end date and does not expire until employment is terminated. A fixed-term contract has a defined start and end date. An employer who wants to hire a foreigner should provide an annually renewed bank sponsorship and submit an application to the Ministry of Labour.
The standard work period is 48 hours distributed over five days per week and eight hours per day. Traditionally, Fridays and Saturdays are the official weekends in Jordan. The maximum number of work and rest hours cannot exceed 11 hours per day. Overtime is limited to 30 days per year. Overtime is paid at a percentage of the employee’s wage rate.
Employees are entitled to 14 days of paid sick leave per year. In general, sick leave requires a medical certificate from a physician. Employees receive an additional 14 days of sick leave at full pay if hospitalized or half of the employees pay if not hospitalized but supported by a medical report.
A female employee is entitled to 10 weeks of paid maternity leave. At least six weeks of leave must be taken after delivery. She is also entitled to 12 months of unpaid leave for childcare reasons. Employers with more than 20 female employees are required to provide a nurse and nursery at their expense in the establishment. After maternity leave ends, the employer should provide the new mother an additional one-hour break for one year to nurse her child. Male employees receive up to three days of paid paternity leave.
The minimum wage in Jordan is determined by the Wage Authority. Every year, the Wage Authority assess inflation, social security payments and other factors to determine the minimum wage for that year. It is advisable to check what the new minimum wage is every year.There is no mandatory bonus in Jordan.
Employees receive between 14 and 21 days of paid annual leave.
The healthcare system is Jordan is comprised of public and private options.
Both the employer and employee can terminate the employment contract. It can be terminated if both parties agree on its termination, the contract expired, work was completed or the employee died or became disabled, which must be proven by a medical report. However, the employer is absolved from the above conditions if the employee was found to be hired by another employer during any of these leaves. After termination, the employer is required to give the employee an end of service certificate, which should include the employee’s name, job description and start/end dates of employment. The party that initiates the termination is required to provide a written termination notice to the other party at least 30 days before the exit date, which cannot be withdrawn unless both parties agree to its withdrawal. During this termination notice period, the contract shall remain valid and the employee shall be entitled to their salary during this period.
An employer that has initiated termination of an employee may exempt the employee from work during the notice period or require the employee to continue working during the notice period except for the last seven days. However, the employer must pay the employee’s salary during the notice period whether the employee is exempt from work or not. In some instances, an employee can leave work without providing notice and still retain the right to end of service compensation.
If the employer terminates the fixed-term period contract before its expiration, or if the employee terminates it for any of the reasons mentioned above, the employee shall be entitled to all the rights, benefits and wages stipulated in the contract until the end of the termination notice period.
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