Egypt Jobless Rate Hits Record Low

2026-08-14 11:39 By Larissa Caser 1 min. read

Egypt’s unemployment rate fell to 5.8% in Q2 2026, down from 6% in the previous quarter, reaching a record low.

The labor force increased 0.6% to around 35.64 million, as the number of unemployed declined 2.4% to approximately 2.08 million, and employment rose 0.8% to 33.6 million, the highest level on record, suggesting an improved capacity of the economy to absorb new labor market entrants, despite persistent gender disparities in labor market participation.

The unemployment rate among men fell to 3.4% from 3.6%, while female unemployment stood at 14.4%.

By sector, agriculture and fishing accounted for the largest share of employment at 18.6%, followed by wholesale and retail trade (17.2%), manufacturing (13.5%), construction (11.8%), and transportation and storage (9.3%).



News Stream
Egypt Jobless Rate Hits Record Low
Egypt’s unemployment rate fell to 5.8% in Q2 2026, down from 6% in the previous quarter, reaching a record low. The labor force increased 0.6% to around 35.64 million, as the number of unemployed declined 2.4% to approximately 2.08 million, and employment rose 0.8% to 33.6 million, the highest level on record, suggesting an improved capacity of the economy to absorb new labor market entrants, despite persistent gender disparities in labor market participation. The unemployment rate among men fell to 3.4% from 3.6%, while female unemployment stood at 14.4%. By sector, agriculture and fishing accounted for the largest share of employment at 18.6%, followed by wholesale and retail trade (17.2%), manufacturing (13.5%), construction (11.8%), and transportation and storage (9.3%).
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