Jordan Labour Law — full reference, mapped to ZenHR features

Primary source: Labour Law No. 8 of 1996 (the "Labour Law"), in force as published in Official Gazette No. 4113, with major amendments under Law No. 11 of 2004, Law No. 26 of 2010, Law No. 14 of 2019 ("the 2019 Amendments"), and Law No. 10 of 2023. Social Security: Social Security Law No. 1 of 2014, administered by the Social Security Corporation (SSC). Income Tax: Income Tax Law No. 34 of 2014, as amended. Regulator: Ministry of Labour (MoL).

1. Scope and definitions (Articles 2–4)

• Article 2: defines "worker", "employer", "wage" (everything paid for work in cash or kind), "basic wage" (the wage stated in the contract excluding allowances) and "establishment".

• Article 3: the law applies to all workers and employers in Jordan, except those whose conditions are regulated by a special law (e.g. civil servants under the Civil Service Bylaw, soldiers and judges).

• Article 4: in case of conflict, the more favorable provision (law, contract, internal regulation) applies to the worker.

2. Recruitment, contracts and probation (Articles 15–25, 28, 35)

• Article 15: the employment contract may be definite (fixed-term) or indefinite, oral or written. Written contract in Arabic, three copies (employer, worker, MoL). If written in another language, the Arabic version prevails. A definite contract that continues to be performed after expiry becomes indefinite.

• Article 17: probationary period maximum 3 months; the worker must be paid during probation and either party may terminate during probation without notice or compensation.

• Article 35: a single probation per employer (even if role changes).

• Article 28: the employer may dismiss a worker without notice or compensation in 11 listed cases including: false identity, gross misconduct, repeated violations after warning, more than 20 non-consecutive or 10 consecutive days of absence without legitimate reason, divulging work secrets, court conviction for a crime affecting honor.

3. Working hours and rest (Articles 56–60)

• Article 56: maximum 8 hours/day or 48 hours/week, excluding meal and rest periods. Sector-specific reductions exist for hazardous occupations (decree by MoL).

• Article 58: the 8-hour rule may be averaged over up to 3 weeks if work conditions require, provided weekly hours do not exceed 48 on average.

• Article 59: at least 1 hour daily for rest, meal and prayer; the worker may not work more than 6 consecutive hours without a break.

• Article 60: weekly rest 24 consecutive hours (Friday by default, replaceable for non-Muslim workers or operational reasons).

4. Overtime (Article 57, as amended 2019)

• Overtime on a regular working day = hourly wage + 25% premium.

• Work on the weekly rest day, public holidays or religious holidays = hourly wage + 50% premium.

• 2019 amendment: the previous obligatory overtime cap of 20 days/year was raised to 30 days/year. Beyond that, the worker may refuse without consequence.

• Senior managers and roles paid on a project basis may be excluded by contract.

5. Annual leave (Article 61)

• 14 working days/year of paid annual leave.

• 21 working days/year after 5 continuous years with the same employer.

• Weekly rest days, public holidays and religious holidays falling within annual leave are not counted as leave.

• The employer sets the timing; postponement to the next year requires written consent. Untaken leave cannot be carried beyond 2 years.

• On termination, the worker is paid for accrued unused leave at the last wage.

6. Sick leave (Article 65)

• 14 working days/year on full pay with a certified medical report from a recognized doctor.

• Renewable for another 14 days/year on full pay if the worker is hospitalized OR a medical committee confirms the illness continues.

• Beyond that, the SSC sickness insurance may apply; absence beyond the entitlement may justify dismissal under Article 28(7).

7. Maternity, paternity and family leaves (Articles 66–72)

• Article 66 (as amended): paternity leave = 3 days fully paid for the birth of a child.

• Article 67: pilgrimage leave = 14 days unpaid, once during service, after 5 continuous years with the same employer.

• Article 70: maternity leave = 10 weeks paid, of which at least 6 weeks must be after delivery. Since SSC Maternity Insurance came into force (2014), the SSC pays the wage during maternity for insured women.

• Article 71: unpaid childcare leave up to 1 year per child for women working in establishments with 10+ employees, with right to return to the same job; refusal to return forfeits the right.

• Article 72: nursing breaks — up to 1 paid hour/day for 1 year after delivery.

• Article 72 (2019 amendment): employers with 15+ female workers OR 20+ employees of any gender whose children combined exceed 15 children under 5 must provide on-site childcare or contract with a licensed nursery within reasonable proximity. Cost is borne by the employer.

8. Public holidays

Set annually by the Council of Ministers; typical list: New Year's Day, Labour Day (1 May), Independence Day (25 May), Christmas (25 Dec), Eid Al-Fitr (3 days), Eid Al-Adha (4 days), Hijri New Year, Prophet's Birthday, Isra' and Mi'raj. ZenHR ships the Jordan holiday template; if a holiday falls within the weekly rest, a compensating day is provided.

9. Wages and Payroll (Articles 46–54)

• Article 46: wages paid in JOD at least once/month, within 7 days of the due date. Receipt or bank transfer required.

• Article 47: lawful deductions — debts to the employer (loans), housing/utilities provided, fines under disciplinary bylaw, court orders, SSC contributions, income tax. Maximum cumulative deduction = 50% of the wage (except court orders for alimony which may go higher).

• Minimum wage: set by Cabinet decision; currently 290 JOD/month for Jordanians and 260 JOD/month for non-Jordanians (some sectors). The amount is reviewed every 2–3 years by the Tripartite Wages Committee.

• Article 49: the worker is entitled to the wage even if work is suspended for reasons attributable to the employer, up to 14 days.

10. Social Security Corporation (SSC) — Law No. 1 of 2014

Compulsory for nearly all employees regardless of nationality.

• Old-Age, Disability and Death insurance: 17.5% (employer 11%, employee 6.5%).

• Work Injury insurance: 2% (employer only).

• Maternity insurance: 0.75% (employer only).

• Unemployment insurance: 1.5% (employer 0.5%, employee 1%).

• Total: ~21.75% of insured wage. Insured wage = basic + regular allowances, capped at JOD 3,500/month (reviewed periodically).

ZenHR exports the monthly SSC E-Service file; joins/leaves are reported to SSC within 30 days.

11. Income Tax (Law No. 34 of 2014, amended)

Personal income tax is progressive: 5% on the first JOD 5,000 of taxable income above the personal exemption, 10% on the next 5,000, 15% on the next 5,000, 20% on the next 5,000, 25% on the next 1,000,000, and 30% thereafter, plus a 1% national contribution above JOD 200,000. Personal exemption = JOD 9,000/year (plus JOD 9,000 for dependents and JOD 1,000 for medical, education, rent and similar — capped). PAYE deducted monthly by the employer; annual return filed with Income & Sales Tax Department.

12. End-of-Service Indemnity (Articles 32–33)

• For workers not covered by SSC (rare in practice — typically pre-1995 hires under the old indemnity regime, or certain expatriate categories), the indemnity = one month's wage per year of service on the last wage, paid on contract end.

• For SSC-covered workers, indemnity is replaced by SSC old-age, disability and death entitlements; Article 33 provides a savings fund mechanism where SSC coverage does not fully replace the indemnity.

13. Termination and notice (Articles 23, 26, 28, 31)

• Article 23: indefinite contract — either party gives 1 month's written notice. If the employer fails to notify, the employer pays the worker the notice-period wage as compensation.

• Article 24: fixed-term contract ends on expiry; early termination by employer without cause triggers compensation = wages for the remainder of the term or 6 months' wage, whichever is less.

• Article 25: arbitrary dismissal — if the court rules the dismissal was unjustified, the employer reinstates the worker OR pays compensation equal to half a month's wage per year of service (minimum 2 months) plus the notice period.

• Article 28: 11 grounds for summary dismissal (see Section 2).

• Article 29: the worker may leave without notice and keep full benefits in 7 cases (employer assault, breach of essential obligation, fraud at hiring, work-related danger, etc.).

• Article 31: collective dismissal requires MoL approval (10+ workers) and consultation with the worker's representatives.

14. Disciplinary actions (Article 71 of internal bylaw template)

The employer's internal regulation, registered with MoL, sets penalties: oral warning, written warning, fine (max 3 days' wage per offence, 7 days' wage in one month), suspension (max 7 days/year), denial of raise, dismissal. The worker must be heard in writing within 7 days of the violation; the penalty must follow within 15 days.

15. Female workers and minors (Articles 27, 69, 73–77)

• Article 27: equal pay for equal work.

• Article 69: prohibition of night work for women in specified industries; exceptions granted by MoL.

• Articles 73–75: minimum working age 16; juveniles (16–18) cannot work more than 6 hours/day, with 1 hour break per 4 hours; no overtime; no night work; no hazardous work (defined by MoL list).

• Articles 76–77: hazardous-work bar extends to age 18; written guardian consent required.

16. Foreign workers and work permits (Articles 12–14)

Foreign workers require an annual work permit issued by MoL. Permit fees vary by sector and nationality. Some occupations are reserved for Jordanians (engineering, accounting, legal); others have sectoral quotas (agriculture, construction, garments, services). ZenHR's Employee Management module stores permit data and triggers renewal alerts 60/30 days in advance.

17. Health, safety and work injury (Articles 78–88)

The employer must provide a safe workplace, PPE, periodic medical checks, first aid, and on-site medical care for establishments with 50+ workers. Work injuries are covered by SSC Work Injury insurance: full wage during incapacity for up to 6 months, then disability pension; permanent disability lump sum; survivor benefits.

18. Dispute resolution (Articles 119–137)

Individual labour disputes go to the Magistrate Court (under JOD 10,000) or Court of First Instance. Collective disputes go to a Conciliation Delegate → Conciliation Board → Labour Court. Strikes and lockouts require 14 days' notice. Limitation period = 2 years from termination for most claims.

References (official sources)

• Ministry of Labour: mol.gov.jo

• Social Security Corporation: ssc.gov.jo

• Income & Sales Tax Department: istd.gov.jo