Unemployment in Jordan and other Arab countries weighed down by the region’s twin security and refugee challenges will remain stuck at around 15 percent this year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a new report

“The unemployment rate for non-GCC countries is expected to remain high, at 15.2 percent in 2017 as spillover effects from armed conflicts in Iraq, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen are having negative repercussions on labor markets in neighboring countries, such as Jordan and Lebanon,” the report said.

The report, entitled The World Employment and Social Outlook 2017, said the state of job markets in these countries, including Lebanon and Jordan which host a combined total of 1.7 million displaced Iraqis and Syrians, will depend on their ability to integrate these refugees into society.

Additionally, the report forecast labor force participation rate for non-GCC countries to reach around 44 percent this year—18.3 percent for women against 70.7 percent for men. This remains low by international standards, and is a continuation of an ongoing trend.

Globally, the report added that unemployment is expected to grow in 2017 on the back of persistent disappointing growth rates. Global unemployment rates are further expected to rise to 5.8 percent in 2017, from 5.7 percent last year, which equals 3.4 million additional unemployed people.