International labour office geneva

Reasons behind migration (economic/social/political): 

In Egypt, there are several economic, political and social reasons behind migration. 

Economic reasons are the main factors causing emigration and are related to issues of 

poverty alleviation, combating unemployment, enjoying higher returns on education, and 

achieving higher standards of living. Social and political reasons also play a role, but are 

less significant than economic reasons. Listed below are a number of factors that explain 

the high emigration tendency in Egypt. 

Demand for labour in labour receiving countries 

Migration from Egypt mainly tends to be a function of overseas demand for labour, 

which, in turn, is highly affected by the economic (mainly oil prices) and political 

conditions of those Arab countries that represent the destination of migrant workers 

(Wahba, 2007). In the case of Europe, it is irregular employment that has fueled irregular 

immigration trends, especially for unskilled labour in specific countries such as Italy, 

where the rate of irregular immigration is high and the underground economy large enough 

to absorb such migration flows (Fargues, 2003). Some analysts have pointed out that 

emigration from Arab countries (including Egypt) is not even likely to be affected by the 

EU’s different enlargements (Khader, 2003). He built his conclusion on certain facts, 

including an aging Europe, and the lack of competition in migration between the new 

acceding countries to the EU and the Arab countries.  

Low rate of private return on education in Egypt 

Egypt suffers from very low private returns on education, whether basic or secondary, 

classifying it among the lowest in the world. Moreover, the private return on secondary 

education is lower than that on basic education, which is an unusual pattern (Nassar, 2005). 

Such low returns represent an important push factor for Egyptian labour to migrate, 

especially in the light of the high unemployment rates prevailing among the proportion of 

the labour force with secondary education and above (Table 5).