088.2.1

Living Wage Policy

Ensuring all university staff and faculty are paid at least the defined local living wage or equivalent poverty-level standard.

Executive Summary

Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU) upholds a firm institutional commitment to economic justice and fair labour practices through the full implementation of its Fair and Equitable Wage Policy, which ensures that all faculty members, administrative staff, technical teams, and outsourced workers receive wages that meet or exceed the nationally defined living wage threshold. This policy reflects AAU’s belief that decent compensation is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.

The Living Wage Policy is operationalized through the Living Wage Compliance Review Procedure, which mandates annual verification of wage structures, job classifications, and contract standards to guarantee that no employee falls below local poverty-line indicators or national minimum-wage benchmarks. AAU’s Human Resources Department, together with the Sustainability & International Ranking Center (SIRC), maintains a continuous monitoring cycle that ensures transparency, fairness, and alignment with Jordan’s labour legislation and international decent-work principles.

By embedding living-wage standards across its workforce and supply-chain operations, AAU strengthens employee well-being, productivity, job satisfaction, and long-term financial security demonstrating leadership among private universities in Jordan in promoting equitable, sustainable, and ethical employment practices.

Centers and Departments

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01Human Resources and Institutional Development Unit

The Human Resources and Institutional Development Unit is the primary body responsible for implementing and monitoring AAU’s Living Wage Policy. The unit conducts annual salary reviews, verifies compliance with the Living Wage Compliance Review Procedure, updates job families and salary scales, and ensures that all staff full-time, part-time, and outsourced receive wages meeting or exceeding national living-wage standards. HR works closely with the Sustainability and International Ranking Center (SIRC) to ensure transparency and accurate reporting.
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02Finance Department

The Finance Department supports the financial sustainability of AAU’s living-wage system by:
  • allocating wage-adjustment budgets,
  • ensuring timely salary disbursement,
  • integrating living-wage indices into financial planning,
  • maintaining compliance with national labour legislation and taxation policies.
It also conducts periodic audits verifying pay equity and wage fairness across the university.
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03General Supplies and Services Department

The department oversees outsourced labour, ensuring all contracted workers meet AAU’s Living Wage and Labour Rights standards. Through the Supplier Labour Rights Compliance Review Procedure, it audits contractors, verifies ethical employment practices, and ensures that external service providers (cleaning, security, maintenance, transportation) comply with AAU’s decent-work requirements.
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04Sustainability and International Ranking Center (SIRC)

SIRC monitors SDG 8 performance, validates wage compliance data, and ensures transparency in public reporting. The center integrates wage indicators into:
  • AAU Sustainability Report,
  • SDG 8 Executive Sustainability Report,
  • AAU Sustainability Portal.
SIRC also conducts regional and global benchmarking related to decent work practices.
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05Teaching and Learning Center (TLC)

TLC supports SDG 8 by embedding labour rights, economic inclusion, and ethical employment themes within academic programs. The center trains faculty on integrating SDG content into course delivery, ensuring graduates understand sustainable labour practices and economic equity. TLC also ensures skill development and professional growth for AAU employees.
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06Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE)

CIE enhances employability, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment key pillars of SDG 8. The center offers free or subsidized access to training programs, innovation labs, mentorship sessions, and entrepreneurial incubation. Its programs enable students, alumni, and community members to build income-generating skills and achieve economic mobility.
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07Hourani e-Learning Center (HEC)

HEC expands learning accessibility by offering digital learning platforms, online training content, and technology-enabled educational resources. By reducing financial and logistical barriers to skill development, HEC supports decent work readiness and equitable access to knowledge.
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08Global Engagement Center (GEC)

GEC enhances global employability through international partnerships, academic exchanges, research mobility, and cross-border internship opportunities. By connecting students and staff to global career ecosystems, it supports long-term economic stability and decent work outcomes.
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09Language Center

The Language Center provides language training essential for labour-market competitiveness. By improving English and foreign-language proficiency, the center helps students and job-seekers access higher-paying employment and reduce socioeconomic inequalities.
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10Medical Services Department

The Medical Services Department contributes to decent work through preventive healthcare, wellness programs, and accessible medical support for all staff and faculty. Healthy staff enjoy greater productivity, reduced absenteeism, and improved economic stability.

Activities

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01Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE)

The CIE provides a wide range of free-access and low-cost entrepreneurship and innovation programs that directly support SDG 8, including:
  • Start-up incubation and acceleration,
  • Innovation and digital skills bootcamps,
  • Business-model development workshops,
  • Financial-literacy and investment training,
  • Mentorship by industry leaders.
These activities empower students and community members to develop market-ready skills, launch businesses, and access new economic opportunities supporting the principles of decent work and living-wage advancement.
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02Hourani e-Learning Center (HEC)

HEC supports decent work through:
  • Open-access digital learning modules,
  • Recorded professional-development courses,
  • Technology platforms enabling equal learning opportunities,
  • Training in digital literacy, AI tools, and e-learning methodologies.
These services help learners acquire job-relevant skills without financial burden, reducing inequalities in access to labour market opportunities.
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03Global Engagement Center (GEC)

GEC organizes activities that expand global employability:
  • International mobility programs,
  • Student and faculty exchanges,
  • Joint research opportunities,
  • Global internships and training programs.
These activities provide individuals with exposure to international job markets, improving competitiveness and advancing SDG 8 outcomes.
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04Language Center

The center supports SDG 8 by offering:
  • English-language proficiency programs,
  • Specialized language workshops for business and workplaces,
  • Support for international exam preparation (IELTS, TOEFL).
Enhanced language skills strengthen employability and access to well paid employment opportunities.
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05Medical Services Department

The department organizes workplace health and wellness activities that support decent work, including:
  • free health screenings,
  • occupational-health seminars,
  • mental-health awareness programs.
A healthy workforce contributes to productivity and long-term economic stability aligned with SDG 8.

Impact Evaluation & Development Plan

Performance Evaluation

  • Structured Assessment Tools
  1. AAU uses standardized sustainability literacy surveys, competency-based rubrics, reflective learning assessments, and course-embedded evaluation instruments to measure the understanding of sustainability, economic fairness, and SDG-related principles. These tools assess concepts tied to SDG 8 such as ethical labour practices, social inclusion, economic equity, and responsible employment.
    • Annual Assessment Cycles
    Sustainability literacy including awareness of living-wage standards, fair employment principles, and labour rights is measured annually for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Results allow AAU to track improvements in knowledge and values related to decent work and economic justice.
    • Quantitative & Qualitative Indicators
    The framework incorporates:
    • multiple-choice and scenario-based questions (knowledge),
    • Likert-scale indicators (attitudes and social values),
    • open-ended reflections (critical thinking and personal application).
    These combined measures provide a comprehensive understanding of SDG 8 awareness.
    • Integration with Curriculum
    SLA outcomes inform course redesign, enabling stronger integration of SDG 8 topics such as labour ethics, living-wage fairness, economic inclusion, and workplace justice across faculties. Capstone courses increasingly require SDG-linked assessments.
    • Transparency and Public Reporting
    All living-wage compliance assessments and SDG 8 literacy findings are validated by SIRC, reported to leadership, and published in:
    • AAU Sustainability Report 2024–2025
    • SDG 8 Executive Sustainability Report
    • AAU Sustainability Portal ensuring full transparency and alignment with global best practices.

    Development Actions

  2. Action 1: Comprehensive Living-Wage Verification System Annual audit for all employees and outsourced staff. Target: 100% compliance maintained yearly. Action 2: Sustainability Competency Rubric Rubric measuring economic fairness, labour rights, and decent-work principles across all programs. Target: Full implementation by 2026. Action 3: Enhanced Curriculum Integration Embed SDG 8 and living-wage principles in all capstone and practicum courses. Target: 100% integration by 2027. Action 4: Living-Wage Digital Dashboard A public dashboard tracking wage classifications, compliance rates, gender-equity indicators, and staff stability. Target: Operational by 2026. Action 5: Regional Benchmarking Annual benchmarking against MENA universities implementing living-wage frameworks. Target: Publish a report each year.

    Benchmarking & Best Practice

  3. AAU benchmarks its living-wage and labour rights systems against leading global universities:
    • University of British Columbia
    • University of Cambridge
    • University of Gothenburg
    Best Practices Adopted
    • annual living-wage audits,
    • public transparency in wage compliance,
    • gender equity and pay gap monitoring,
    • competency-based SDG assessment models,
    • public dashboards and open data systems.
    Localization to Jordan’s Context AAU adapts global best practices through:
    • Fair and Equitable Wage Policy,
    • Living Wage Compliance Review Procedure,
    • Labour Rights and Non-Discrimination Policy,
    • alignment with Jordanian Labour Law,
    • support of national priorities for decent work and economic growth.
    Future Goal (by 2028) Establish the AAU Living Wage & Economic Equity Observatory to monitor, benchmark, and publicly report wage fairness, labour rights, and economic justice metrics. Institutional Integration Summary AAU ensures that the Living Wage Policy is embedded across the university’s human-resource systems, budget planning, hiring processes, supplier evaluations, and strategic workforce development plans. The Sustainability & International Ranking Center (SIRC), alongside the HR Department, oversees monitoring, policy enforcement, and transparent reporting. Through continuous assessment, evidence-based improvements, and a commitment to equitable compensation, AAU guarantees that every employee – regardless of role – receives fair, ethical, and dignified wages, contributing to a socially responsible and economically resilient university aligned with SDG 8, SDG 10, and SDG 17.
View the 2026 edition of this pageRES.AM_ V.01_29 Oct 2026

Contact Office On

  • Email: sdo@ammanu.edu.jo
  • Phone: +962 5 3500211
  • Extension: 2060
  • Address: Al-Ahliyya Amman University / Amman-Jordan- Al Salt Road / Zip-Code (Postal Address): (19328)
  • Fax: +962 6 5336104
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