Youth Livelihood Opportunities in Egypt

This report presents results from a quantitative and qualitative study on youth livelihood opportunities in Egypt. The study was motivated by growing evidence of increasing unemployment among the young at a time when new entrants into the labor force are also increasing at unprecedented rates. Egypt has a youth population of over 13 million aged 15–24—over a fifth of the total population. They constitute the largest segment of the economically active population. Whether this bulge of young workers entering the labor force is a “demographic gift” or a “demographic burden” depends in large measure on the policies that are in place to guide their entry into the labor force, and their accumulation of human capital. Opportunity structures for youth at this transitional stage of their life will not only contribute to the economic and social development of the country, but also shape and influence all aspects of their lives as adults