Cairo – Mubasher: Unemployment rate in Egypt declined during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019 to 8% compared with 8.9% during Q4-18, according to the Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Hala El Said.
The minister said that the country’s workforce increased to around 28.9 million people, compared with 28.4 million by the end of 2018, growing by 1.9% on a yearly basis, according to a statement on Saturday.
El Said further noted that the rate of participation in economic activity increased for the first time in three years, or 12 quarters, to 43.1% of the national workforce, with female participation rising to 16.4% up from 15.1%, while males accounted for 68.1% of this rate.
The workforce in rural areas is larger than in urban areas by around 4.8 million people, as the unemployment rate in rural areas decreased to 5.4%, compared with 7.5% in Q4-18, the minister added.
