Egypt's unemployment rate reaches 8.9%: Solidarity Ministry

CAIRO - 20 June 2019: The Ministry of Social Solidarity said that 4 million jobs were provided through anti-unemployment programs and projects during the last 10 years, adding that the unemployment rate reached 8.9 percent—the lowest in the history of the unemployment challenge which Africa faces, according to the ministry.

During the "Success Stories" session, on the second day of a conference to address sustainable development in the African cities, the ministry said that 50,000 jobs were provided to women in the Egyptian governorates during the past year, pointing out that the ministry works in the poorest villages, as it has directed 76 percent of the funds to Upper Egypt.

The conference seeks providing the best regional and international experiences on promoting local development, economic growth, and urban expansion, examining challenges facing African cities and sharing experiences among them.

Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali said during the conference that the Egyptian state has chosen the way of serious structural economic reforms, which radically addresses the country's longstanding problems.

Wali said that the ministry provides monetary support to the income of the neediest people who are below the poverty line.

In May, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said that Egypt’s unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent during the first quarter of 2019, compared to 10.6 percent in the same quarter of 2018.

During the fourth quarter of 2018, Egypt’s unemployment rate declined 2.4 percent to 8.9 percent, compared to the same quarter of 2017.

The report revealed that the size of the workforce reached 27.968 million people.

CAPMAS said that the number of jobless people reached 2.267 million, with a decrease of 827,000 on a year on year basis and 224,000 on a quarter on quarter basis.

In the third quarter of 2018, the unemployment rate declined 1.9 percent, compared to the same quarter of 2017, and in the first quarter, it decreased 1.4 percent, compared to 12 percent in the same period of 2017.