Egypt reported a 1.2% increase in foreign employees in the private and investment sectors, according to a Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) report released on Wednesday.
In its “Annual Bulletin of Foreigners working in private and investment sectors in Egypt in 2019”, CAPMAS reported that there were a total of 14,950 foreign employees in these sectors last year.
Of this figure, 81.8% were male workers, accounting for 12,236 of the total, with 2,714 female workers, or 18.2%. These figures compared to the 14,777 foreign employees reported in these sectors in 2018.
The number of foreign employees working in Egypt for the first time came in at 6,227, or 41.7% of the total, with those on renewed contracts accounting for 8,723, or 58.3%, of the total in 2019.
The largest number of foreign employees was reportedly from non-Arab Asian and European countries, accounting for 43%, or 6,423, of the total. The majority of these, 1,924 (30%) of the total, came from Bangladesh, with China following with 1,197 employees, or 18.6%.
These were followed by employees from European countries, coming in at 3,655 or 24.4% of the total. The majority of the European employees hailed from the UK, accounting for 1,110 employees, or by 30.4%, followed by Italy, with 546 employees, or 14.9%.
Arab countries accounted for 3,326 (22.2%) of the employees, mostly from Syria with 1,447 of the total, or 43.5%. This was followed by employees from Palestine coming in at 788, or 23.7%.
This was followed by North American employees accounting for 1,082 of the total, or 7.2%. This was mostly from the US which accounted for 678 employees, or 62.7%, but also from Canada which accounted for 267 foreigners, or 24.7%.
Employees coming in from non-Arab African countries accounted for a total of 185 foreigners or 1.2%, while Oceania countries represent the lowest numbers. Oceania accounts for only 135 employees, or just 0.9 % of the total number of foreign employees.
Labour force directorates are the first point of call for issuing work permits to foreigners working in Egypt’s private and investment sector. The number of work permits issued reached 5,563, with investment offices issuing a total of 5,394 licences. Oil Offices issued a total of 1,894 licences to foreign employees in the private and investment sectors in 2019.
Technicians and Specialist Assistants represent the largest number of foreign employees with 4,626 people, or 30.9%. This was followed by legislators, senior officials, and managers who reached 4,407 foreigners, or 29.5%, and professionals represent 21.6% or 3,235 employees.
The majority of foreign workers were working in manufacturing activity, with 4,341 foreign employees doing so. This was followed by arts, entertainment, and recreation coming in at 2,620 employees (or 17.5%), followed by mining and quarrying activity accounting for 1,914 employees (or 12.8%). The accommodation and food service activities sector employed 1,725 foreigners (or 11.5%), followed by education activities with 1,543 foreigners (or 10.3%).
