Reasons for Worker’s Refrain to Work in the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ): Case of Jordan

Abstract

The industrial sector operating within the Qualified Industrial Zones has

been developing steadily during the period (1999- 2008) . This resulted in

establishing more free zones amounted to 13 qualifying zones, 53 garment

factories, which have had a demonstrable impact on the increasing of the

Jordanian exports to the USA markets.

The study aims to identify the reality of employment conditions in the

qualifying industrial zones, and to analyze the reasons for the phenomenon

of reluctance to work in these zones. The importance of this is study is the

adoption of diagnostic and preventive aspects, so that the public and private

sectors could take appropriate decisions accordingly.

To achieve the objective of the present study, the researchers adopted the

descriptive statistical methods to test the research hypotheses through using

statistical computer programs such as frequencies, percentages, mean, mode

and standard deviations, which enable the researchers to identify the main

reasons which refrain workers from working in the Qualified Industrial Zones

(QIZ) in Jordan.

The researchers designed a self- administered questionnaire through

which the research objectives can be achieved. Then it was distributed to a

selected sample of workers in garment factories, and was recollected later

on. The researchers distributed (1500) questionnaire and recollected (1260)

questionnaires which were valid for statistical analysis. These represent (84

%) of the total questionnaires distributed to workers working at the garment

factories operating within the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) in Jordan.

The results show that although the working conditions in the factories

were somehow acceptable by the workers working in Qualified Industrial

Zones, the main reasons for workers’ refrain to work in the Qualified Industrial

Zones (QIZ) in Jordan are the centralized procedures adopted by the managers

in these factories, lack of cooperation and coordination with other divisions

at the factory and lack of communication skills among divisions of factories

working within the Qualified Industrial Zones. Finally, the researchers gave

some recommendations to encourage workers to work in the Qualified

Industrial Zones.