to its labor market for Syrian refugees. As part of the Compact, Jordan committed to issuing up to 200,000 work permits to Syrian refugees. This was a significant policy shift, as work for refugees was previously restricted. The permits allowed Syrians to work in specific sectors, including agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and services. The Compact also included the creation of special economic zones where companies could employ Syrian refugees, often in exchange for preferential access to European markets.

# **2.2.** **_Simplification of Work Permits Procedure_**

fees and eliminating some bureaucratic hurdles. Mobile units were also deployed to refugee camps and urban areas to facilitate the issuance of permits. Jordan introduced flexible and sectorspecific work permits, which allowed Syrian refugees to work in various jobs within certain sectors without the need for employer sponsorship. This made it easier for refugees to find and switch jobs. However, work permits are still largely restricted to low-wage, labor-intensive sectors, limiting opportunities for many skilled refugees. Moreover, despite the availability of work permits, about two-thirds of Syrian refugees continue to work informally, often due to the mismatch between their skills and the available jobs, or the perceived complexity of the work permit process.

# **2.3.** **_Sector-Specific Initiatives_**

The agriculture sector has been one of the most accessible for Syrian refugees, with many permits issued for seasonal and regular agricultural work. The government worked with international organizations to promote the inclusion of refugees in this sector, where labor demand is high. The Government of Jordan made focal efforts to integrate Syrians into the construction and manufacturing sectors, which are important to Jordan's economy. This included vocational training programs designed to match refugees' skills with market needs.

To motivate our data section, it is essential to understand the UN Statistics Division's (ISIC – HS) concordances, which link the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) with the Harmonized System (HS). ISIC is a global standard for categorizing economic activities, providing a hierarchical structure that organizes industries based on their primary activities, and is used for various statistical purposes. Meanwhile, the HS, developed by the World Customs Organization, offers a standardized nomenclature for classifying traded goods, facilitating customs, trade, and tariff processes. The ISIC – HS concordances bridge these two systems, enabling us to connect economic activities from Labor Force Survey (LFS) data (ISIC) to specific products in the UN COMTRADE data (HS), thereby enriching our analysis of economic activities and trade flows. Once the ISIC and HS codes are mapped, we can observe the employment allocation of workers across export-oriented industries and evaluate the employment implications of the JC.

The Jordanian LFS is a survey implemented through four rounds on a yearly basis by the Jordanian Department of Statistics (DoS) and provides detailed information on various aspects of 4 | P a g e