Egypt's unemployment rate drops in Q2 2021

Ahram Online , Sunday 15 Aug 2021

Unemployment went down to 7.3%, declining by 2.3 percent in Q2 2021 compared to Q2 2020

Unemployment
File Photo: Unemployment in Egypt (Ahram)

Egypt’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.3 percent of the total workforce during the second quarter of 2021, marking a slight 0.1 percent decline compared to Q1 2021, the state’s statistical agency CAPMAS reported on Sunday.

This also represents a 2.3 percent decline compared to Q2 2020 when unemployment reached 9.6 percent, the agency said in a statement.

The unemployment rate in the country had risen during the second quarter of 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak and partial lockdown measures, including a nighttime curfew and the suspension of flights, CAPMAS said last year.

Since the outbreak started in Egypt in February last year, the country has reported a total of 285,275 cases and 16,615 related deaths.

According to the Sunday statement, the number of unemployed citizens decreased by 40,000 in Q2 2021, down from 2.155 million in Q1 2021. This also constitutes a significant drop by 459,000 people from Q2 last year.

The number of unemployed citizens in Q2 2021 reached 2.115 million, including more than 1.3 million males and 732,000 females, the agency said.

Unemployment among males reached 5.7 percent of the total male workforce in Q2 2021, compared to 8.5 percent in the same quarter last year.

Among females, unemployment declined from 16.2 percent in Q2 2020 and 15.9 percent in Q1 2021 to 15 percent in Q2 2021, the statement added.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, Egypt has adopted an approach described by officials as “balanced” between sticking to coronavirus preventive measures and ensuring ongoing production.

Over the past few years Egypt has also witnessed the inauguration of many mega development projects that contributed to reducing unemployment.

The number of workers reached 27 million in Q2 2021. This includes 11.524 million urban workers and 15.476 million rural workers, according to the statement.

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