Syrian refugees in Jordan: consequences for Egyptian migrant workers

Salma Abou Hussein and Darah Hashem

Chapter 2 in Public Policy in the Arab World, 2024, pp 23-44 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Over the past forty years, the situation of the Egyptian labor market has not improved and remains the principal factor determining labor migration. In the past decade, creation of job opportunities has lagged behind labor force growth, which has led many to resort to migration. This chapter analyzes the impact of Syrian refugee influx on Egyptian migrant workers in Jordan. We conducted a multi-site, mixed methods study comprising a primary quantitative research in Jordan and primary qualitative research in both Jordan and Egypt. For the qualitative component, the analysis was drawn from (1) 58 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with Egyptian migrants in Jordan, (2) 71 IDIs with Egyptian returnees, (3) 14 key informant interviews (KIIs) in Jordan - including interviews with government officials, civil society representatives and business owners, (4) 6 KIIs in Egypt - with government officials, civil society representatives and a broker, and (5) 20 IDIs with Syrian refugees in Jordan. The findings of the study indicate that the influx of Syrian refugees in Jordan appears to have (negatively) affected the chances of Egyptians working. At the macro level, starting from 2013, remittances to Egypt from Jordan decreased sharply. Remittances reached their peak in 2012 by recording a level of 3.8 billion USD. In 2013 and afterward, remittances decreased to an average level of 1.1 billion USD only. These findings are supported by the micro level data of the survey where about two-thirds of respondents who reported that their work was affected by the presence of Syrians in Jordan stated that the amount of money they used to save decreased. In addition, 44 percent reported that the amount of money they used to send to Egypt decreased.

Keywords: Development Studies; Economics and Finance; Law - Academic; Politics and Public Policy Sociology and Social Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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