I’ve been contemplating writing about the amount of public holidays in Jordan for sometime after the last “Eid Adha” which coincided with the New Year and Christmas occasions resulting in a over a week of public holidays. But that was not the only occasion. Jordan is “blessed” with a good number of public holidays. In brief, economists in Jordan estimate near to 4.5 months of holidays, or 139 days! These include public holidays, weekends, paid leaves, and sickness leaves. They also estimate around $30M of lost productivity per day. For a country like Jordan with ambitious targets for economical development, each day really counts.
So, His Majesty King Abdullah the II declared the cancelation of two public holidays in this news piece by Petra:
“King Abdullah on Wednesday directed the government to scrap two public holidays to help “boost productivity and dedication” starting this year. “I hope that Jordanians can celebrate the two occasions [the Monarch’s birthday on January 30 and King Hussein’s birthday on November 14] by enhancing national economy,” the King told Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit in a letter. The King asked the government to set a clear calendar, pointing out public holidays and daylight saving time for the coming five years to “help public and private institutions set well-defined and long-term plans” — Petra
I know some people, mostly employees, may not like this, but think about the large number of daily workers, merchants, and small (and large) business owners and how too many days-off impact their living and their financial performance, which in turn reflect on the overall economy.
I am really glad that a country like Jordan has looked into that and make an action about it. I highly value that His Majesty has chosen the most personal days to him to let go of, which are the birthdays of His late Father King Hussein, and His.
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1 comment:
I could not agree more ! I was really delighted when I heard the news, Life is almost about working to me, rest relies in joyness of work !!
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