Jordan Unemployment Rates and Google Trends Data (2010-2024): Analyzing Economic Sentiment Through Search Behavior in Arabic and English

This dataset combines official unemployment rates in Jordan from 2010 to the end of September 2024 with Google Trends data capturing search behaviour in Arabic and English. Experts curated the search phrases to reflect terms associated with job searches, unemployment concerns, and expressions of economic frustration. This unique dataset offers a rich blend of traditional economic indicators and non-traditional data, such as search trends, providing a novel approach to understanding and predicting unemployment in an emergency context, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

By leveraging search trends as proxies for real-time public sentiment and behaviours, this dataset opens the door to more immediate economic forecasts, bridging the gap between releasing official unemployment data and real-time indicators. Such insights are precious during economic uncertainty or crisis periods, where swift policy responses are critical. Researchers and policymakers can use this dataset to explore correlations between public search behaviour and unemployment rates, potentially allowing for earlier interventions based on predictive models incorporating traditional and non-traditional data.