"We cannot stand idle in the face of the increasing unemployment numbers we are seeing, which is a global phenomenon aggravated in light of the continuing coronavirus pandemic," Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said on Wednesday.

Unemployed, single men aged 25 to 29 years will be required to report for conscription.

The conscription will be divided into two parts.

The first three months will be a military training "that helps in consolidating the national identity of young people and enhances (their) discipline and commitment," Razzaz added.

This will be followed by nine months in which conscripts gain "professional, technical and digital" skills, he added without details.

The conscription system will be overseen by both the armed forces and the Ministry of Labour.

Conscripts will be paid 100 dinars ($A192) per month.

At the end of their service, they will have a priority to get hired in government positions, Minister of Labour Nidal Bataineh told reporters.

This is "not going to be the magic wand to solve unemployment... which needs economic growth and attracting investments," Bataineh said.

Yet, he said, it is based on "the economic priorities" of the state after "in-depth studies" of the labour market and the needs of youths.

About 5000 men will be requested to start the service this year, and up to 15,000 next year, Bataineh added.

The compulsory conscription for young men replaces a voluntary program which began few years ago, also to help decrease unemployment rates.

The voluntary program will continue to receive applications from interested women.

Unemployment in Jordan increased to 23 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, compared to 19.2 percent in the same period last year.

Jordan stopped obligatory conscription in 1994.

Australian Associated Press