The printing sector faces a technological transformation that redefines jobs

While these technological transformations open new doors for business owners to develop their businesses, increase productivity, and reduce costs, they also raise increasing questions about the future of workers in traditional professions related to printing, photography, copying, and the production of paper materials, and the ability of labor market regulations to keep pace with rapid changes.

The President of the General Union of Workers in Printing and Related Activities, Muhammad Al-Za'abi, warns of the effects that the technological revolution has begun to impose on the labor movement in the sector, considering that the rapid technical developments have pushed employers to reconsider work mechanisms and production methods, which, according to him, has affected the situation of a segment of workers.

Al-Za'abi says that the fifth technological revolution has invaded the work environment and has become a reality that cannot be ignored, calling for dealing with it through the establishment of clear regulations and legislation that regulate the relationship between employers and workers, in a way that ensures that technological development does not become a means to infringe on workers' rights and benefits.

He points out that business owners are now working to modernize work mechanisms and take advantage of modern technology in completing tasks that previously required larger numbers of workers, considering that this shift has harmed some workers as a result of the change in the nature of jobs and the decline in the need for some traditional professions.

Al-Za'abi believes that the challenge is not related to technology per se, but rather to the way it is managed and the organization of its effects on the labor market, explaining that what is required is to find a balance between the right of establishments to develop and modernize, and the right of workers to job stability, social protection, and the retention of their gains.

He points out that Article 23 of the Jordanian Labor Law, the origin of the labor law that includes it dates back to 1996, has become, in his words, a 'trump card in the hand of employers' during the past three years, considering that some practices of its application are now infringing on workers' rights, in light of the transformations taking place in the labor market and the entry of modern technology into production and service sectors.

Al-Za'abi calls for reviewing the relevant legislation to keep pace with new transformations, stressing that labor market regulations should be able to deal with new jobs, modern employment patterns, and the shift from manual to automated and digital work.

This call comes at a time when the Jordanian work environment is increasingly moving towards new work patterns, as the Ministry of Labor announced in 2026 that about 145 establishments benefited from the flexible work system during 2025 and 2026, which reflects part of the transformations taking place in the labor market as a result of the changing nature of businesses and the needs of employers.

In the printing sector specifically, the transformations are not limited to the introduction of modern machines, but extend to the use of software, digital design, artificial intelligence, and modern printing technologies, in addition to the transfer of part of the services that were provided by libraries and photography and printing shops to digital platforms.

Another challenge arises here, which is the rehabilitation of workers, as the continuation of the worker in the labor market is no longer only related to his mastery of traditional printing skills, but also to his ability to deal with digital programs, modern machines, and electronic design and production technologies.

Al-Za'abi emphasizes the importance of accompanying the technological transformation process with training and rehabilitation programs for workers, so that the worker does not find himself out of the labor market due to the change in the required skills, calling on business owners, official and union bodies to cooperate in this field.

Al-Za'abi calls on library owners and establishments working in printing, photography, and related activities to join the union, considering it a union and legal umbrella through which workers' issues can be followed and their rights defended in light of the changes that have occurred in the nature of work.

The union's umbrella, according to published data about it, includes workers in printing, publishing, libraries, paper and cardboard industry, photography and television, and other activities related to these sectors, while its objectives include caring for workers' interests, defending their rights, and raising their economic, professional, and cultural levels.

One of the dealers in photography and printing, Akram Sharaf Al-Khalidi, believes that the future of the printing sector will not necessarily be in the confrontation between man and technology, but in the ability to redefine the role of the worker within the establishment, so that some jobs move from direct manual execution to the operation of smart systems, supervision, quality control, design, marketing, and digital services.

He points out that there seems to be a need for a new approach to dealing with the technological revolution, based on developing establishments and protecting workers at the same time, so that technology does not become a cause of job loss, but rather a means of creating new, more specialized jobs, increasing the productivity of establishments, and improving the ability of workers to compete in a rapidly changing labor market.