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The Structure and Evolution of Employment in Egypt: 1998-2012

Author

Listed:
  • Ragui Assaad

    (University of Minnesota)

  • Caroline Krafft

    (Department of Economics, St. Catherine University)

Abstract

This paper conducts a detailed analysis of the evolution of the employment situation in Egypt over the period from 1998 to 2012, paying special attention to the impact of the economic crisis accompanying the January 25th 2011 revolution. Data from the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey of 2012 is used and compared to the 1998 and 2006 survey rounds. Trends in job creation, employment status, sector, industry, and occupation are examined. This paper also investigates job mobility between statuses from 2006 to 2012 and compares this to patterns of mobility from 1998 to 2006. Additionally, we examine changes in the conditions of work, including characteristics such as stability, formality, hours, benefits, and firm size. Employment in the private sector continues to be dominated by small firms and informal work. Irregular wage work—the type of employment that is most closely associated with vulnerability and poverty—has risen substantially as of 2012. Overall, there appears to have been a substantial deterioration in employment conditions in the private sector, but stability, if not improvement, in conditions for those employed in the public sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Ragui Assaad & Caroline Krafft, 2013. "The Structure and Evolution of Employment in Egypt: 1998-2012," Working Papers 805, Economic Research Forum, revised Nov 2013.
    • Handle: RePEc:erg:wpaper:805
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adams, Richard H, Jr, 2002. "Nonfarm Income, Inequality, and Land in Rural Egypt," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 50(2), pages 339-363, January.
    2. Ragui Assaad & Caroline Krafft, 2013. "The Egypt labor market panel survey: introducing the 2012 round," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-30, December.
    3. Marga Peeters, 2011. "Modelling unemployment in the presence of excess labour supply," Journal of Economics and Econometrics, Economics and Econometrics Society, vol. 54(2), pages 58-92.
    4. repec:wbk:wbpubs:13191 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yassin, Shaimaa & Langot, François, 2018. "Informality, public employment and employment protection in developing countries," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 326-348.
    2. Rim Ben Mouelhi & Mohamed Goaied, 2017. "Women in the Tunisian Labor Market," Working Papers 1160, Economic Research Forum, revised 11 2017.
    3. Doruk, Ömer Tuğsal & Pastore, Francesco, 2020. "School to Work Transition and Macroeconomic Conditions in the Turkish Economy," GLO Discussion Paper Series 730, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Selwaness, Irene & Roushdy, Rania, 2017. "The Arab Spring and the Employability of Youth: Early evidence from Egypt," GLO Discussion Paper Series 28, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Aysit Tansel & Zeynel Abidin Ozdemir, 2014. "Determinant of Transitions Across Formal/Informal Sectors in Egypt," Working Papers 899, Economic Research Forum, revised Dec 2014.
    6. Nelly EL MALLAKH & Mathilde MAUREL & Biagio SPECIALE, 2014. "Women and political change: Evidence from the Egyptian revolution," Working Papers P116, FERDI.
    7. Ahmed Elsayed & Jackline Wahba, 2016. "Informalization Dynamics and Gains: Why Want a Job Contract?," Working Papers 1001, Economic Research Forum, revised May 2016.
    8. El-Mallakh, Nelly & Maurel, Mathilde & Speciale, Biagio, 2018. "Arab spring protests and women's labor market outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian revolution," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 656-682.
    9. Abeer Mohamed Ali Abd Elkhalek, 2019. "Economic Development and Participation of Women in Services Sector: Empirical Evidence from Egypt," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(2), pages 155-164, February.
    10. Irene Selwaness & Caroline Krafft, 2021. "The Dynamics of Family Formation and Women’s Work: What Facilitates and Hinders Female Employment in the Middle East and North Africa?," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(3), pages 533-587, June.
    11. Nazier, Hanan & Ezzat, Asmaa, 2022. "Gender differences and time allocation: A comparative analysis of Egypt and Tunisia," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 174-193.
    12. Nazier, Hanan, 2020. "Female labor in Egyptian manufacturing sector: The demand side story," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1-11.
    13. Ragui Assaad & Caroline Krafft & John Roemer & Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, 2016. "Inequality of Opportunity in Income and Consumption in Egypt," Working Papers 1002, Economic Research Forum, revised May 2016.

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