International labour office geneva

Figure 3: The Development of unemployment rate (1981-2008) 

5.4

5.7

8.8

9.1

11.1 11.1 11.3

8.4

8.2

8.1

9.0

9.2

10.2

11.0

10.3

11.2

10.6

8.9 8.7

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

19

81

198

2

19

91

19

92

19

93

199

4

19

95

19

97

19

98

19

99

200

0

200

1

20

02

20

03

20

04

200

5

20

06

20

07

20

08

U

ne

m

pl

oy

m

e

nt R

a

te

 

Source: Egypt Information Portal/ IDSC referring to data from CAPMAS, 2008, 

http://www.eip.gov.eg/nds/nds_view.aspx?id=3692

  

Perceived better life after returning from migration 

Perception of a better life for return migrants is considered an important socio-

economic push factor. The Ministry of Manpower and Emigration (MME) undertook 

several surveys showing that economic reasons (including upgrading living standards and 

unemployment pressures) are the main culprits for a high potential of emigration (cited in 

EUI, 2006; Fargues, 2006). Based on interviews, Zohry (2006b) identified a number of 

reasons for increased irregular migration to Europe. As stated by Zohry (2006b): 

An important factor that plays a major role in stimulating migration streams to Europe is 

the wealth of successful migrants and return migrants. Remittances of Egyptian migrants who 

work in European countries are important factors that stimulate a continuous stream of 

migration. Potential migrants claim that ordinary workers can save an average amount of 6,000 

Euro per annum while working abroad (about 40,000 Egyptian Pounds). Potential migrants 

claim that the “savings of one-year work in Europe is more than a lifetime salary in Egypt”. 

Building luxurious houses in rural Egypt, marriages, and consumerism behavior of returnees are 

strong factors that attract new young men to migrate. When youth weigh the risks of irregular 

migration against the expected returns, they prefer to take the risk for an assumed better life. 

Moreover, and based on interviews, Zohry (2006b) asserts that there is a shift of migration 

from Arab Gulf countries to Europe, facilitated by extended networks making irregular 

migration easier. 

 

 

 

Labour migration for decent work, economic growth and development in Egypt  

9 

---

 

Alleviating poverty 

The Egyptian data indicate that about 74 per cent of migrant households spend the 

largest share of funds received from relatives abroad on daily household expenses (Zohry, 

2006a). This implies that migration has an important role to play in poverty alleviation, but 

not directly in productive investment, rather through the financing of daily expenses and 

consumption needs of the migrants' families back home in Egypt. This is fully expected, as 

revealed by the high level of poverty prevailing in the Egyptian economy shown in Figure 

4. Given the weak formal social safety net in Egypt, migration helps to improve living 

standards and alleviate poverty.