Jordan Employment Law

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:

• • • 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.

Employees are provided with different forms of flexible working arrangements, which includes the following:

• • • • 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. 

Additional Considerations 

When an employee and employer agree to a flexible working arrangement, the following key points should be considered: 

• • • • • 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.

Flexible Employment Regulation No. 22 of 2017.

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:

• • • 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.

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. 

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.