1887

OECD Economics Department Working Papers

Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.

The views expressed in these papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries.

English, French

Promoting better quality job creation for inclusive growth in Egypt

Egypt’s working age population is set to expand substantially, with a rising education level, making for growth opportunities. However, employment ratios have trended down, while informality has become increasingly prevalent, particularly penalising the youth. Such trends should be reversed by creating more and better-quality jobs, thereby better integrating people into the labour market, in particular the youth. Easing rigid market regulations would boost productivity and promote formal job creation. High labour costs should be reduced, which would also bring a larger share of the working age population into formal employment. At the same time, social protection and worker support should be expanded to address labour market insecurity and obstacles to labour force participation. Education is also key to foster productivity growth and formal jobs. Ongoing reforms, notably the National Structural Reform Programme, aim at developing skills, promoting female labour force participation and expanding social benefit programmes. These important initiatives should be complemented by additional policy measures to ensure sufficient job creation and improve job quality, thereby durably raising living standards for all and improving employment prospects especially for younger generations.

English

Keywords: social security system, youth employment, labour market regulation, social protection, Job creation, female labour force participation, informality, education, skills, job quality
JEL: J60: Labor and Demographic Economics / Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers / Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers: General; J30: Labor and Demographic Economics / Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs / Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General; E24: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics / Consumption, Saving, Production, Investment, Labor Markets, and Informal Economy / Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity; I30: Health, Education, and Welfare / Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty / Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: General; E26: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics / Consumption, Saving, Production, Investment, Labor Markets, and Informal Economy / Informal Economy; Underground Economy; I20: Health, Education, and Welfare / Education and Research Institutions / Education and Research Institutions: General
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