CAIRO — Egypt’s unemployment rate declined to 6.3% in 2025, down from 6.6% in 2024, reflecting a modest improvement in labour market conditions, according to data released by Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The figures show that youth unemployment (ages 15–29) fell to 13.2%, a decline of 1.7 percentage points year-on-year, although disparities remain pronounced, with unemployment at 8.1% for males compared with 33.8% for females.
By age group, unemployment dropped across all segments, reaching 9.8% for ages 15–19, 16.9% for ages 20–24, and 11.5% for ages 25–29. Among educated youth, the rate also declined to 16.8%, though female unemployment within this category remained significantly higher.
The labour force expanded to 34.15 million in 2025, up from 32.04 million a year earlier, while total employment rose to 32.02 million, indicating job creation has broadly kept pace with new entrants. However, the number of unemployed edged up slightly to 2.14 million, reflecting the growing size of the workforce.
Urban unemployment increased marginally to 9.8%, while rural unemployment declined to 3.5%, highlighting uneven labour market dynamics across regions. Female unemployment remained elevated at 22.5% in urban areas and 8.8% in rural areas, compared with significantly lower rates for males.
Sectoral data shows employment concentrated in agriculture and fishing (6.57 million), followed by wholesale and retail trade (5.24 million), manufacturing (4.31 million), and construction (3.63 million). Wage employees accounted for 67.7% of total employment, underscoring the dominance of formal and semi-formal job structures.
Labour force participation rose to 46.2% in 2025, up from 44.2% in 2024, driven primarily by higher male participation.
As The Middle East Observer notes, the data reflects a gradual strengthening of Egypt’s labour market, supported by rising employment and workforce participation. However, persistent structural challenges—particularly gender disparities and youth employment gaps—continue to shape the outlook for inclusive labour market growth.
