International labour office geneva

 

 

 

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1. Introduction

 

This study is undertaken within the context of a larger project initiated by the ILO 

Employment Policy Department, carried out in conjunction with the International 

Migration programme and in collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate 

General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. The research project 

aims at developing the knowledge base on decent work in Mediterranean countries related 

to labour migration for decent work, economic growth and development. After reviewing 

the flows, and characteristics of emigration, the study provides a critical analysis of 

migration policy in Egypt in terms of policies implemented and the governing institutional 

setup. Moreover, it discusses the reasons behind emigration in Egypt, as well as the 

different socioeconomic effects of migration. Furthermore, the study deals with the impact 

of the 2008 financial crisis on migration and discusses the different policies adopted to 

combat the negative effects of the crisis. The bilateral migration-related agreements that 

Egypt has signed are discussed while focusing on the agreements with the European 

Union. The ultimate goal of the study is to provide a comprehensive overview of migration 

in Egypt with the aim of elaborating some useful policy suggestions on how to improve 

migration policy.  

The methodology of the study is desk work and a number of interviews undertaken to 

investigate issues related to the research where it is believed there is a gap between theory 

and practice in terms of laws and policies announced by the Government of Egypt (GOE). 

The study is policy oriented and the time span it addresses goes back to the 1960s in terms 

of laws and regulations, whereas in terms of quantitative data it goes back to the early 

1990s. The most updated data available has been used; however, it is worth noting that 

analysis of migration suffers from outdated information on many specific issues. 

The study is divided into four main sections, and an introduction and conclusion. 

Section One provides an overview of the status of migration in Egypt, identifying trends, 

areas of destinations, reasons behind migration, and status of educational and employment 

policies and their relationship with migration. Section Two describes the institutional set-

up governing migration in Egypt including laws, regulations and policies adopted by the 

Government of Egypt (GOE). Moreover, it deals with the international agreements signed 

by the GOE in the field of migration with a special focus on agreements with the European 

Union (EU). Section Three deals with the impact of migration on economic development 

in Egypt, focusing on the utilization of remittances, returned migrants and the issue of the 

brain drain. Section Four envisages the likely impact of the financial crisis on migration 

and remittances in Egypt and the efforts undertaken by the GOE to deal with the crisis 

effect. Conclusion and policy implications follow. 

 

 

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

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