Adolescents need tailored support to develop the aspirations and skills they need to become the ‘generation capable of creativity and innovation with high productivity’ envisioned by Jordan’s new National Youth Strategy. GAGE research suggests that adolescents in Jordan, especially Syrian refugees, remain vulnerable to exploitative child labour and rarely benefit from programming for economic empowerment. Refugee adolescents in Jordan have limited occupational aspirations largely due to restrictive work permit regulations, and in the case of girls, restrictive gender norms and limited opportunities mean Jordan has one of the lowest rates of female labour force participation globally.