Egypt is working as hard as ever to shift its focus from simply creating jobs to improving employment quality, productivity and skills alignment as technological advances and the green transition reshape labour markets, the Planning and Economic Development Ministry said on Monday.
The remarks came at the opening of the 10th annual international conference of the National Planning Institute, held under the theme “Labour Market and Sustainable Development”, bringing together experts and policymakers.
In opening remarks delivered on behalf of Planning and Economic Development Minister Ahmed Rostom, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Mona Essam said the labour market was a key channel for achieving sustainable development.
She said economic growth could only have its full impact when it translated into more jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards.
Rostom cited 2025 labour market indicators showing global unemployment at 4.9 per cent, compared with 9.9 per cent in North Africa and 9.5 per cent in Arab countries. Youth unemployment stood at 12.4 per cent globally, 22.6 per cent in North Africa and 26.2 per cent in Arab countries.
The figures, he said, highlighted the need to promote job-rich economic growth while narrowing the gap between education outcomes and rapidly changing labour market needs.
Egypt’s unemployment rate fell from more than 13 per cent in 2013 to 6.3 per cent in 2025 and further to 5.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2026. The labour force reached around 35.6 million, while employment stood at about 33.6 million.
Rostom stressed that the challenge now went beyond job creation to improving job quality, productivity and skills alignment. Female unemployment stood at 14.4 per cent in Q2 2026, compared with 3.4 per cent among men.
He also highlighted the impact of rapid technological advances, artificial intelligence and the green transition on jobs and skills. Egypt plans to strengthen private-sector partnerships through sectoral skills councils and develop an integrated labour market information system to help identify future employment opportunities.
The next phase, Rostom said, should focus on building a flexible labour market capable of providing productive and decent jobs.
