Kayan Weekly Brief | Unregistered Workers, Wage Support, Social Security & the UAE | 18 October 2026

Kayan Weekly Brief · 18 October 2026

Kayan Advisory, Mohammad Agha

Seven weeks left on the labour window, and wage support for hiring Jordanians

Four verified developments, and what they mean in practice for finance teams and decision-makers in Jordan.

Labour · Wage support · Social Security · UAE

Management takeaway

• Workers who have never held a work permit, domestic workers included, can regularize until 1 December 2026 by paying for a new permit plus JOD 500 for all previous years. The employer or head of household handles the procedure.
• New wage support tied to hiring: two agreements signed by the Ministry of Labour cover half the minimum wage plus transport and Social Security allowances. Before you set your 2027 hiring plan, ask whether a similar mechanism applies to you, and on what obligations.
• Social Security is widening coverage through data-matching and field inspections: review coverage of part-time staff, people paid for extra hours, and new joiners now.

⏰ Deadlines: 27–28 October 2026 (US Federal Reserve meeting) · 30 October 2026 (UAE: e-invoicing service-provider appointment for the first group) · 1 December 2026 (end of the labour regularization period in Jordan).

1. Workers who never held a permit: JOD 500 for all previous years, until 1 December

Regulatory alert · Fixed deadline

On 14 October the Ministry of Labour addressed non-Jordanian workers who entered the country for purposes other than work, such as tourism, medical treatment or study, and are now working without ever having obtained a work permit during their stay. According to the Ministry's spokesperson, this group, including domestic workers who have never held a permit, can benefit from the regularization period, which runs until 1 December 2026. They do so by obtaining a work permit and paying its fee, plus a flat JOD 500 for all previous years spent in Jordan. Employers and heads of household can visit the Ministry to complete the procedure for the workers they employ, within the specified occupations.

On 15 October the Ministry announced that it had detained 28 domestic workers with absconding reports against them, holding expired work and residence permits; some had not renewed their status for 10 years. It urged citizens not to employ domestic workers on a daily or hourly basis, which it described as a clear violation of the Labour Law.

What management should do: Add workers who have never held a permit to the regularization list you started after our last issue, and check that the occupation the permit will be issued under is one of the specified occupations. Do not rely on daily or hourly domestic workers, at home or at work. The other categories are covered in our issue of 12 October.

• Ministry of Labour — message to workers who have never held a work permit, 14 October 2026 · 28 domestic workers detained, 15 October 2026 (Arabic)
• Talk to the Kayan team about reviewing your labour records and the cost of regularizing

2. Wage support for new Jordanian hires: half the minimum wage, plus transport and Social Security allowances

Opportunity · For companies that are hiring

On 13 October the Ministry of Labour signed two agreements with companies in the agricultural and food sectors to support the employment of 171 Jordanians, with a focus on hiring more women.

• What is the support? The Ministry's Fund for Supporting Vocational and Technical Education, Training and Skills Development provides, "in accordance with the approved rules", 50% of the minimum wage, a JOD 25 transport allowance and a JOD 25 Social Security contribution allowance, per worker per month.
• For how long? It depends on the agreement. The first supports 121 workers in Wadi Araba for one year, under the national labour support programme, with additional grants for hiring women. The second supports the wages of 50 workers at the agricultural industries development complex in the Southern Ghor, Karak governorate, for three years, with priority for local residents.
• What is required in return? The company must provide training and qualification programmes, sign written employment contracts, and enrol the workers in Social Security.
• What is the intended effect? According to the Ministry, the aim is to create new jobs, raise women's participation, and reduce unemployment in areas with agricultural and food investment.

In September the Ministry announced incentives with a similar structure for investors in the Ma'an Industrial City, which we covered in our issue of 27 September. The duration in each case is read from its own agreement and source, and should not be generalized.

What management should do: If your 2027 hiring plan includes new Jordanian hires, especially in agriculture, food processing or the governorates, ask the Ministry before the budget is approved whether a support mechanism applies to you, and what its rules are. Then work out the effect on the cost of each role over the support period and after it ends: the obligations (written contract, Social Security and training) remain once the support stops. Mentioning the mechanism here does not confirm any company's eligibility.

• Ministry of Labour — two agreements to support the employment of Jordanians in agriculture and food processing, 13 October 2026 (Arabic)
• Talk to the Kayan team about how wage support affects your hiring plan and budget

3. Social Security: more than 1.705 million active insured, and coverage widens through data and inspections

Social Security · Compliance

On 14 October the Social Security Corporation announced that the number of active insured persons passed 1,705,000 in October, up from 1,685,387 at the end of September. The Corporation attributed the rise to new measures it has taken, and to the enrolment of staff paid for additional teaching hours and new employees in private education. It said it is continuing to widen coverage through electronic links with the relevant bodies, the use of government data to identify workers who should be covered, and more field inspections to verify actual coverage.

What management should do: Review the list of everyone you pay, not just your permanent staff. Look in particular at part-time staff, people paid for extra hours or on short contracts, and recent joiners. The Corporation now matches its records against other government data, so any gap may show up on its side before it shows up on yours.

• Social Security Corporation — 14 October 2026 (Arabic)

4. UAE: the e-invoicing provider deadline is two weeks away, and a new guide on Top-up Tax

Gulf · For companies with UAE entities

30 October 2026 remains the deadline for businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more to appoint an accredited e-invoicing service provider, under Ministerial Decision No. 66 of 2026, as reported in our last issue. On 7 October the Federal Tax Authority issued a Guide on Scope and Registration for the Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax on multinational enterprise groups. The guide explains when a group falls within scope, which entities are and are not subject to the tax, and the registration procedure and timelines. The tax applies in the UAE for financial years starting on or after 1 January 2025, and aims to ensure that in-scope groups pay an effective tax rate of at least 15%.

What management should do: If your company has a UAE entity, confirm the provider decision before 30 October if it falls in the first group. If the company is part of an international group, ask your UAE tax adviser to assess its position under the new guide.

• Federal Tax Authority — Guide on Scope and Registration, 8 October 2026 · UAE Ministry of Finance — e-invoicing

Global markets through a management lens

Market prices as 2027 budget assumptions: a range, not a number. Equities and silver fell this week, oil stayed high and volatile, and US Treasury yields eased ahead of the Fed.

• Interest rates: The US Federal Reserve's target range remains 3.75%–4%, and its next meeting is on 27–28 October. The 10-year US Treasury yield eased to 5.09% on 16 October, from 5.24% on 9 October. The Central Bank of Jordan has not changed its rates since its 25-basis-point rise on 21 September.
• US equities: The S&P 500 closed at 7,659 on 16 October (−1.9% since 9 October) and the Nasdaq at 26,140 (−4.5%).
• Oil: Brent spot stood at USD 126.55 on 14 October, the latest published price, and has ranged between USD 125.78 and 130.18 since 7 October. If your 2027 budget prices energy at a single figure, test the effect of USD 5 either way.
• Gold and silver: Gold was fixed at USD 4,189 an ounce on 16 October (+0.1% since 9 October), after dipping to USD 4,089 on 14 October. Silver fell to USD 57.71 (−4.1%).
• Bitcoin: Around USD 81,978 on 18 October (−2.0% since 11 October), having ranged between USD 81,310 and 83,160 over the week. Its volatility makes it unsuitable for operating liquidity.

This is not investment advice; it is a reminder that a budget built on a range survives a week like this better than one built on a single number. We go into this in our article Five Financial Decisions Before Year-End Close and the 2027 Budget.

Sources: FOMC meeting calendar · US Energy Information Administration · FRED · LBMA

The next two weeks and beyond

• 27–28 October: US Federal Reserve FOMC meeting.
• 30 October: UAE deadline for businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more to appoint an accredited e-invoicing service provider.
• By around the end of October: The announced launch of the first package of the Ministry of Labour's upgraded systems for non-Jordanian worker services ("within the next two months" from 30 August). No launch has been announced yet.
• 1 December: End of the regularization period for non-Jordanian workers in Jordan.

Management checklist for the next 30 days

1. HR manager: Add workers who have never held a permit to the regularization list, and check their occupations — by 25 October.
2. Payroll officer: Reconcile the list of everyone you pay, including part-time staff and those paid for extra hours, against Social Security coverage — by 29 October.
3. Finance manager (companies with UAE entities): Settle the provider decision if needed, and request an assessment of the Top-up Tax position — by 29 October.
4. Finance manager: Test a range of energy prices against the 2027 budget assumptions — by 31 October.
5. HR manager and finance manager: Ask about wage-support mechanisms before approving the 2027 hiring plan, and work out their effect during and after the support period — by 15 November.
6. HR manager: Complete regularization transactions at the competent directorate before the final week of the window — by 15 November.

Is your 2027 hiring plan built on the right cost?

Kayan Advisory helps companies review their labour, payroll and Social Security positions, and estimate how regularization and wage support affect the cost of hiring and the budget.

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This brief provides general information and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Each case is assessed on its own facts; please verify the official requirements in force before taking action. Nothing on the markets is investment advice. Kayan Advisory does not provide legal representation.