Labor Market Panel Survey, ELMPS 1998, Egypt

In 1991, the Egyptian government initiated a major Economic Reform and Structural Adjustment Program (ERSAP). This reform included a stabilization component to eliminate external and external imbalances, a reform agenda for the trade and financial sectors and the exchange rate regime, and an ambitious privatization program. Until recently, however, little was known about the impact of this program on employment and earnings in the Egyptian labor market. Therefore ERF conducted The Egypt Labor Market survey with a nationally-representative household survey covering 5,000 households which aimed to assess the major changes in labor market conditions that occurred during the period from 1988 to 1998, a period of significant economic reform and structural adjustment. This project investigated changes in the supply and demand for labor, including the extent to which the private sector has contributed to employment creation, and the groups that have benefited from employment growth. Trends in labor earnings and wages, in women’s and youth employment, and in child labor and schooling are analyzed and the role of the informal sector in employment creation is explored, as well as the extent to which the labor market itself has become more informal over the period. The data may be accessed through the ERF Data Portal: erfdataportal.com