Labour market

Egypt

Source: CIA - The world factbook ; UN - United Nations ; World Bank

Note: (e) Estimated data

Legal weekly duration: The length work is 8 hours per day, 6 days per week with a maximum of 48 hours per week, and a rest obligation of a minimum of 24 consecutive hours in a week. There is a minimum 1 hour of rest for a day of work. If an employee works for more than 8 hours per day, he has a right to a 35% bonus for day work and 70% bonus for night work.
Retirement age: 60 years.
Working contracts: The work contracts are governed, in the order of importance, by the legal provisions, collective agreement and individual negotiation. The two types of contract frequently used are the limited duration contract and the open-ended contract. There is also the temporary work contract which is used with the purpose of giving the employee a well-specified assignment. There is no maximum duration. The occasional work contract exists in the case of a specific assignment and its duration cannot exceed 6 months. The seasonal work contract highly used in the tourism sector is concluded for a work which is required to be repeated every year at around the same fixed date. This type of contract cannot be renewed. Dismissal / layoff criteria are also very rigid compared to the employment conditions which are very flexible.

Minimum wage: The government-mandated minimum wage in the public sector is approximately EGP 176 (USD 33) a month. The minimum-wage law is also observed in the private sector.
Average wage: The average Egyptian salary is about 100 EUR per month.
Social contributions: Social security contributions paid by employers: For salaries between 0 and 750 EGP: 26%
For salaries between 751 EGP and 1,250 EGP: 24%
Social security contributions paid by employees: For salaries between 0 and 750 EGP:14%
For salaries between 751 EGP and 1,250 EGP: 11%

Social dialogue and involvement of social partners: There are 23 trade unions (labor unions) which are represented by the ETUF (Egyptian Trade Union Federation).
Unions: Egyptian Trade Union Federation
Unionization rate: Union membership is around 20%.
Labor regulation bodies: Ministry of Labor (in Arabic)