Last updated on: June 24th, 2021
Labor Requirements
The Labor Law in Jordan is regulated mainly by the Labor Law of 1996 as amended by Law No 14 of 2019. The Law governs the terms and conditions of employment such as working hours, holidays, rest periods, wages, overtime, leave and termination of employment, etc.
Hours & Pay Regulations
Normal Working Hours
The working hours shall not exceed 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week (excluding meal breaks and rest periods) except in the cases as may be allowed by the legislation.
The maximum weekly working hours and rest break can be distributed in a manner that the total may not exceed 11 hours per day inclusive of overtime. However, employees undertaking the tasks of general supervision or management in any establishment and who work in some cases outside the establishment, or whose work nature entails traveling inside Jordan or abroad are not subject to the above-mentioned working hours limitation. Labor Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 56 and 58.
Flexible Working Arrangement
The Flexible Employment Regulation No. 22 of 2017 (the “Regulation”) offers below categories of employees, a flexible working arrangement which can be utilized as per the needs and requirements of the employees:
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- An employee who has spent at least 3 consecutive years working for the employer;
- An employee who bears “family responsibilities”, which are defined as accompanying a pregnant employee; an employee who assumes parental ‘responsibility of a child; or an employee who assumes responsibility for disabled or ill members of their family (including the elderly).
- University students (who are employed with the employer); and
- Disabled employees.
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Employees are provided with different forms of flexible working arrangements, which includes the following:
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- Part-time work – An employee can do part-time work where the employee is entitled to work for reduced working hours as compared to the standard working hours [the standard normal working hours are 8 hours per day excluding an hour break, 48 hours per week which can be distributed throughout the week provided that the working day does not exceed 11 hours(inclusive of overtime)].
- Flexible working option – The working hours are distributed in a day as per the requirements of an employee. But the total number of working hours in a day shall be the same as the standard working hours as may be followed in the workplace.
- Varied working weekly schedule or pattern – An employee can choose to distribute his/her working hours across the working week in a non-standard manner. For example- On Monday, Tuesday – an employee may work for up to 10 hours a day, and on Wednesday and Thursday – 6 hours per day. An employee can make use of such a pattern of work provided that the daily working hours shall not exceed 10 hours per day exclusive of overtime.
- Varied working yearly schedule or pattern – An employee can choose to work for 6 days a week from March-August and thereafter work for 4 days a week throughout the year. This arrangement is however restricted in Labor Legislation, which provides that an employee is prohibited from working for more than 4 weeks in a row without taking any day off.
- The option of remote working.
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Additional Considerations
When an employee and employer agree to a flexible working arrangement, the following key points should be considered:
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- The Employee should be paid pro-rata to his/her working hours and days but not less than the current national minimum wage.
- The Employee’s leaves and entitlements should be provided by the employer pro-rata (proportionally)to his/her working hours and days.
- The Employee should still be entitled to take advantage of all the rights and advantages provided under the Labour legislation unless his/her original employment contract or flexible contract provides for a more advantageous right.
- The Employee should be entitled to request to revert to his/her original employment contract at any time during the flexible arrangement and such request can only be effected upon the approval of the employer.
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Flexible Employment Regulation No. 22 of 2017.
Overtime
Employees shall be entitled to overtime pay if the daily working time exceeds 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week.
An employee would also be entitled to overtime pay for the following purposes where overtime work is considered mandatory:
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- Performing the annual inventory works of the establishment, preparing the balance sheet, and the final accounts provided that such overtime work is performed for a period not exceeding 30 days in a year while the actual working hours shall not exceed 10 hours per day.
- For the purposes of avoiding the occurrence of a loss to the goods, any other material exposed for damage, avoiding the risks of technical work or otherwise in order to receive, deliver or transfer specific materials.
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However, employees undertaking the tasks of general supervision or management in any establishment and who work in some cases outside the establishment, or whose work nature entails traveling inside Jordan or abroad are not subject to the above-mentioned overtime work limitations.
Pay – An employee who works overtime is entitled to a remuneration that shall not be less than 125% of the normal wage. Labour Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 57 and 58.
Breaks
An employee is entitled to a weekly break on Friday unless the nature of work requires otherwise.
An employee may with the consent of the employer accumulate the days of weekly holidays and use them within a period of one month. The employee’s weekly holiday shall be fully paid at a regular rate, if he works 6 consecutive days before the specified day of the holiday, and is entitled to that wage by the percentage of days the employee worked during the week if it is three days or more.
Pay – An employee who works on a weekly rest day is entitled to be paid at a minimum rate of 150% of regular remuneration. Labour Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 59 and 60.
Public Holidays
Employees are generally entitled to the following 12 public holidays:
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- New Year’s Day
- Labour Day (May 1)
- Independence Day (May 25)
- Eid Al Adha/ Feast of Sacrifice (3 days)
- Eid Al Fitr/ End of Ramadan (3 days)
- Islamic Hijra New Year
- Mawlid an-Nabi/ The Prophet’s Birthday
- Christmas (December 25)
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Pay – An employee who works on a public holiday or religious feast is entitled to be paid at a minimum rate of 150% of regular remuneration.
Annual Leave
An employee is entitled to annual leave with full pay for a period of 14 days for each year of employment unless a larger amount of leave has been agreed upon between the employer and employee. However, an employee who has been in continuous employment with the same employer for a period of 5 consecutive years is entitled to annual leave for a period of 21 days.
Public holidays, religious feasts, and weekly rest days shall be counted as part of the annual leave when such day falls during the vacation period of an employee. If the employee has not completed one year of employment, the employee shall have the right to obtain a leave with pay in proportion to the period of his service during the year.
The annual leave of an employee might be suspended for any year by the agreement of the employee and the employer and carried forward to the following year. However, an employee will lose his/her right to take the suspended annual vacation if not requested to be used during that particular year. The employer may not reject an employee’s request to avail his/her leave.
In case, an employee can not take annual leave at once, in such a scenario the annual vacation taken by the employee each time shall not consist of less than 2 days. An employee can avail payment in lieu of leave in the event that the employer fails to approve the employee’s annual leave for a consecutive period of 2 years.
Timing of Vacation – An employer shall specify the date of the annual leave for each employee during the first month of the year keeping into consideration the interests of the employees.
Termination of Employment – An employee whose employment is terminated before he/she could avail the annual leave, in such cases, the employee is entitled to receive remuneration for all remaining leave days. Labour Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 61 – 64.
Special Leave
An employee is entitled to 14 days of sick leave with full pay on the basis of a report by the medical practitioner approved by the establishment. Sick leave can be extended to a further 14 days of leave with full pay if the employee is hospitalized and with half pay if the employee is not hospitalized but provides a report from a medical commission approved by the establishment. Labour Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 65.
A female employee is entitled to a paid maternity leave before and after delivery for a total period of 10 weeks provided that the period of leave post-delivery shall not be less than 6 weeks.
Breastfeeding Break – After the expiry of the maternity leave period a female employee is entitled to take time off with pay for the purpose of nursing her newborn baby, during a year post the delivery date, provided that total time off does not exceed 1 hour a day.
An employer must prepare a suitable place in the custody of a qualified nanny to take care of the children of female employees who are less than four years old, provided that there are 15 or more children under five years of age.
An employer who employs 10 or more employees shall provide female employees with unpaid leave for a period not exceeding a year for the purpose of taking care of her children. Such an employee may return to work after the expiry of that leave provided that she shall lose this right if she has worked in any other establishment with pay during that period. Labour Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 67, 70 – 71.
An employee is entitled to paid leave for a period of 3 days after the birth of the child.
An employee is entitled to paid leave for a period of 14 days each year in any of the following cases:
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- If an employee has joined a course for labour education approved by the Ministry upon the candidacy of the employer or the manager of the establishment in cooperation with the concerned association.
- For the purpose of pilgrimage, provide that an employee has been in the employer’s service for at least 5 consecutive years. Such leave shall only be granted once during the employee’s period of service.
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The employee may get unpaid leave of 4 months if the employee joined an approved university, institute or college to study. An employee may get an unpaid period of 4 months if the employee joined an approved university institute or college to study. Labour Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 66.
A working couple is entitled to receive an unpaid leave once for a period of not exceeding 2 years to accompany his/her couple if he/she has moved to another work located outside the governorate in which he/she works inside Jordan or moved to work abroad. Labour Law of 1996 (amended by Law No 14 of 2019), Art. 68