Through the Keyhole: International Migration in Egypt

This paper examines international migration in Egypt and provides an overview of the trends and patterns of international migration over the last few decades. It documents the changing profiles of migrants and compares their characteristics to non-migrants, distinguishing between current and return migrants. Also the push and pull factors behind out-migration and return migration are investigated. In addition, the contributions of migration to skill acquisition of migrants, savings and remittances are examined. The findings highlight the importance of international migration to the Egyptian economy. Saudi Arabia continues to be the most important destination of migrants, but is by no mean the sole destination. The profile of migrants has changed over the past four decades as migrants have become more educated but also more rural. Although migrants are more educated than non-migrants, returnees are on average not as educated as current migrants. Yet, the findings show that returnees indeed experience an upward occupational mobility upon return. More importantly, the evidence suggests that savings and remittances have played an important role in enabling migrants and their households to become investors in shares and economic projects.