Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Rostom said that Egypt’s unemployment rate declined to 5.8% during the second quarter of 2026, compared with around 6% in the first quarter, reflecting continued improvement in labour market performance. Rostom made the remarks during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, August 6, 2026, chaired by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, where he reviewed labour market indicators for the second quarter of 2026.
He said unemployment among males dropped to 3.4% in Q2, compared with 3.6% in Q1, while the unemployment rate among females stood at 14.4% in Q2, compared with 14.3% in the previous quarter, stressing the importance of continuing policies and programs aimed at creating more job opportunities, particularly for women.
The Minister added that unemployment rates continued to vary between urban and rural areas, with the rate in urban areas rising to 8.8% in Q2 of 2026, while declining in rural areas to 3.5%, compared with 4.2% in Q1. He said this reflected improved employment indicators in rural areas, while efforts continued to expand job opportunities in urban centres.
Rostom explained that Egypt’s labour force increased to around 35.64 million people in Q2 of 2026, compared with 35.41 million in Q1, representing a 0.6% rise. The number of unemployed also decreased by 2.4% to around 2.08 million in Q2, compared with 2.13 million in the previous quarter, indicating improved capacity of the economy to absorb new labour market entrants, despite continued differences in economic participation rates between males and females.
He added that the number of employed people rose to around 33.6 million in Q2, compared with 33.3 million in Q1, marking an increase of 0.8%. The number of employed males reached around 26.9 million, while employed females totalled about 6.67 million, reflecting continued improvement in employment conditions and increased job opportunities, while highlighting the importance of further efforts to boost women’s participation in economic activity.
Regarding the sectoral distribution of employment, Rostom said agriculture and fishing continued to account for the largest share of employment, with around 6.25 million workers representing 18.6% of total employment, followed by wholesale and retail trade at 17.2%, manufacturing at 13.5%, construction at 11.8%, and transportation and storage at 9.3%.
The Minister said the indicators reflected continued improvement in labour market conditions, noting that agriculture remains Egypt’s largest source of employment, followed by trade, while industry, construction and transport sectors continue to play a key role in providing jobs and supporting economic growth.
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