Egypt’s labour market: new survey data for evidence-based decision-making

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Ragui Assaad ,
Caroline Krafft and
Esraa Mahmoud
November 12, 2024

As Egypt faces substantial social and economic shifts, understanding the labour market is crucial for designing policies that promote employment and inclusive economic growth. This column introduces the latest wave of the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey, which provides fresh, nationally representative data that are vital for examining these dynamics.

In a nutshell

The Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS) 2023 – the fifth wave of a nationally representative longitudinal survey that began in 1998 – offers an unparalleled opportunity for researchers to examine the transformation of Egypt’s labour market, economy and society over the past 25 years.

The survey, which includes both household and individual questionnaires, was conducted between September and December 2023; it covers a wide range of topics, including employment, education, training, time use and new areas, such as gig work and green jobs.

The 2023 wave sampled 17,784 households and 70,636 individuals; with the continued tracking of individuals and households from previous waves, the ELMPS 2023 provides crucial data for policy-makers focused pressing labour market issues and developing evidence-based policies for the future.

The Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS) 2023 was conducted by ERF, in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (OAMDI, 2024; Assaad and Krafft, 2024).

In addition to Egypt, comparable labour market panel surveys have been conducted in Jordan in 2010 and 2016, in Tunisia in 2014 and in Sudan in 2022 (OAMDI, 2016, 2018, 2023; Krafft et al, 2024; Krafft and Assaad, 2021; Assaad et al, 2016). A third wave for Jordan is planned for late 2024.

The 2023 wave for Egypt builds on the previous waves from 1998, 2006, 2012 and 2018. One of the key advantages of this longitudinal survey is its ability to track individuals as they form new households, providing a detailed picture of demographic and labour market changes. In addition, a refresher sample of 2,000 new households was included to ensure that the survey remains nationally representative of the Egyptian population in 2023.

Survey highlights

The ELMPS 2023 features comprehensive questionnaires for both households and individuals, addressing such topics as:

Employment and unemployment: Detailed questions on labour market history, job characteristics, gig work and green jobs.
Education and training: Educational attainment, training experiences and skills acquisition, with a new focus on digital skills.
Time use: A 24-hour diary for adults and adolescents, and a seven-day reference for children, capturing how individuals allocate their time across activities.
Technology and finance: Digital payment use and mobile money trends, which are particularly relevant for analysing the impact of ‘fintech’ on employment and financial inclusion.

The survey also includes new questions on social norms around gender and work, providing richer insights into factors influencing women’s participation in the labour market.

Addressing attrition and expanding data

As with previous waves and most panel surveys, the ELMPS 2023 faced challenges related to sample attrition – where respondents from earlier waves could not be reached in 2023. But the household attrition rate in 2023 was reduced to 12%, the lowest among such surveys to date.

While some households were lost due to migration or death, a substantial portion of the 2018 sample was successfully recontacted. Models predicting the likelihood of attrition were used to adjust weights, ensuring that the data remain representative of Egypt’s population.

Comparison with other surveys

Results from ELMPS 2023 data are similar to Egypt’s official Labor Force Survey (LFS) and the Egyptian Family Health Survey (EFHS) on key demographic indicators, such as age distribution and household size. Key labour market indicators, such as labour force participation, employment and unemployment, are overall very similar between ELMPS 2023 and the LFS.

But among women, the ELMPS tends to detect slightly more employment and less unemployment. This is likely to be due to its focus on capturing responses from the individual him or herself.

Opportunities for future research

The rich data of the ELMPS make it a critical complement to high-frequency data sources like the LFS, offering deeper insights into the structure of Egypt’s labour market. Public-use microdata from the ELMPS 2023 will be available through ERF’s Open Access Microdata Initiative (OAMDI) in October 2024.

The rich dataset is expected to drive new research on a wide range of topics, including the transition to digital and green jobs, the economic participation of women, and the impact of recent economic reforms on household wellbeing.

ELMPS 2023 is an essential tool for both researchers and policy-makers. It provides a comprehensive view of labour market dynamics in Egypt, shedding light on critical issues, such as youth employment, gender disparities and the rise of non-traditional forms of work. As Egypt’s labour market continues to evolve, this survey will serve as a cornerstone for evidence-based decision-making.

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