In light of the political leadership’s directives to enhance social protection and provide job opportunities for citizens, the Ministry of Labor is intensifying its efforts to reshape the Egyptian labor market on more just and sustainable foundations.
Cairo 24 was keen on conducting a dialogue with Mohamed Gibran, Minister of Labor, to reveal the most prominent of what was achieved during the period from July 2024 to April 2025, from tangible achievements in the files of irregular employment, supporting troubled companies, and expanding job opportunities internally and externally, through what has been accomplished in the field of vocational training, digital transformation, and the text of the dialogue:
beginning.. Tell us about the Ministry’s efforts in developing the vocational training system
We continue to develop the vocational training system in cooperation with work partners at home and abroad, especially the private sector, as the ministry has 83 fixed vocational training centers, traveling in the governorates, all of which work within the presidential initiative of a decent life.
The Training and Rehabilitation Fund works to support all training and qualification programs through the needs of the labor market at home and abroad, and during the recent period we implemented 379 training programs on the professions that the labor market needs in fixed training centers, and 5793 trainees benefited from them, including 2229 males, and 3564 females.
The Ministry and its directorates implemented 254 training programs in the mobile units, which benefited 2816 trainees, including 752 males, and 2064, from females, in 189 villages from the villages of a decent life.
What did the state provide to protect and care for irregular employment?
The file of irregular employment is a great interest from the beginning of July 2024 to April 2025, as the value of the periodic grants spent for employment registered in the ministry’s database, which numbered 6 annual grants, and spent on occasions, increased from 500 pounds to 1500 pounds, in addition to starting to limit the migrant workers in preparation for their inclusion in care and providing waiting places that are appropriate for them in the fields.
How much does the grant for irregular employment from July 2024 to April 2025?
We spent 6 patrol grants on occasions for irregular employment registered with the Ministry’s database during the period from Yulo 2024 to April 2025, at a value of 686 million, 295 thousand and 500 pounds, as it benefited 185 thousand and 304 irregular workers.
Also, 7 million and 714 thousand pounds were disbursed, social and health care, 3 thousand workers have benefited from, and exceptional grants were disbursed, which are compensation of accidents worth 13 million and 171 thousand pounds, for 279 cases of the injured and the deceased.
There are companies facing a lot of challenges .. How does the Emergency Emergency Box support for the return of production wheels again?
The emergency subsidies fund offers a lot to workers whose companies are exposed to some challenges and stumbling, as the subsidies attached to the fund during the period from 1 July 2024 until April 1, 2025, 68 million and 500 thousand pounds, and 10 thousand and 660 workers worked in 41 facilities, and from July 1, 2022 at the time of the establishment of the fund to the date of 9-4-2025, reached a total of what the fund spent 2 billion, and 293 One million and 590 thousand pounds, with 429 thousand and 301 workers benefited from 3991 facilities.
How did President Sisi’s directives contribute to supporting the social protection support for workers affected by the stumbling of their companies?
The fund is considered one of the most prominent arms of the Egyptian state to provide social protection for workers, as President Sisi was directed to increase the minimum emergency benefits for the wages of these workers whose companies are subjected to some stumbling from 600 to 1500 pounds as a minimum.
After increasing it for 7,000 pounds .. Have companies applying for a petition for not applying the minimum wage?
No company submitted a request for a petition for the lack of application of the minimum wage after increasing it, as it is not allowed at the present time that there are exceptions in the application as it was previously, and there is continuous follow -up to ensure implementation.
Inspection campaigns were made during the last period; In order to ensure that workers obtain their rights, there will be new mechanisms during the coming period to follow up systematically.
President Sisi is always directed to combat unemployment .. What are the measures that the Ministry of Labor has taken in this framework?
The national employment strategy is being completed in cooperation with the International Labor Organization and a number of labor partners at home and abroad, as the Ministry continues to participate in the state in the face of unemployment, which decreased from 13% during 2014 to 6.4% now, due to the giant projects taking place in the new republic.
The Ministry has contributed to the provision of 378 thousand and 174 job opportunities for young people in private sector companies with the commitment to apply the minimum wage, through employment forums that amounted to 42 comprehensive employment forums, employment of people with special needs, and the national employment bulletin that is issued every 15 days in cooperation with the private sector, and among them was 55 thousand job opportunities for women, and 20 thousand for people with determination.
6 thousand job opportunities were provided abroad through the ministry’s labor representation offices in a number of Arab and European countries in which approximately 5 million Egyptian workers work, and 313 thousand and 831 work permit for Egyptians abroad, in addition to delivery for the first time, work contracts for young people for those with anxiety in 27 governorates at the same time via video technology in April 2025.
To what extent has workers’ representation offices turned into a real force in protecting and supporting Egyptian workers ’rights within the markets?
The ministry has 9 global representation offices abroad in Arab and European countries, and approximately 5 million Egyptian workers work in that range, as they defend their legitimate rights and make them aware of their duties as well, and participate in providing job opportunities for Egyptian cadres in foreign markets.
Through these offices, the ministry provided 74,246 job opportunities for Egyptian youth abroad during the period from July 1, 2024 until April 1, 2025, as well as the settlement of 1524 workers’ complaints in a friendly manner, and the referral of 86 complaints to the judiciary to protect the rights of Egyptian workers abroad.
The Ministry succeeded in recovering dues for Egyptian workers amounting to 4 billion and 714 million, 774 thousand and 63 pounds, including 197 million, 328 thousand, 419 pounds of financial dues on the settlement of disputes, 4 billion, and 517 million, 445 thousand, and 644 pounds, a total financial dues of social security and pensions.
How much spending on training and rehabilitation programs is?
During the period from July 1, 2024 until July 1, 2025, the Fund for the Finance of Training and Rehabilitation spent during the period from July 1, 2024 until July 1, 2025, the amount of 79 million, and 339 thousand pounds, and from its foundation on July 1, 2003 until April 9, 2025, the total of what the fund spent on supporting training and rehabilitation plans is 313 million and 264 thousand pounds.
To what extent did the digital transformation improve the speed of response to citizens ’complaints and inquiries?
The ministry began the experimental broadcasting of the electronic services system that is enabled for citizens, by providing the extraction of registration certificates, work heel, and the skill level measuring and craft services.
The infrastructure was developed at the Ministry’s General Court, with a number of programs to the new administrative capital servers with the aim of improving efficiency and performance, as efforts included developing the technological infrastructure with work offices and directorates, and linked 76 electronic business offices out of 128 targeted offices within the first stage, provided that the electronic link is completed in 20 governorates during the second stage.
This stage witnessed significant improvements in the network structure, updating computers to ensure the continuity of the service, and the launch of electronic links to register job opportunities inside and outside the country, as well as for those wishing to join vocational training programs, as well as developing an irregular employment registration system, improving the government complaints portal to facilitate the response to citizens ’inquiries, and the creation of several digital platforms, including: the infrastructure platform for the work market, the training platform for the training platform on Deta, foreign work platform.
