The Ministry of Manpower and Immigration announced that 11,909 jobs were created in Egypt in January, according to a ministerial report delivered to Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb. The report stated the jobs created were in the private and investment sectors. Of this figure, 1,328 people nominated by the ministry were taken on by four companies, with 511 of these being handicapped workers. The total number of Egyptian labourers abroad holding contracts reached 42,200 during January. Minister of Manpower and Immigration Nahed Al-Ashry said the ministry approved 84 advertisements in different specialisations of overseas recruitment companies. These are likely to provide approximately 30,000 jobs. A further 460 contracts for Egyptian workers to find employment abroad were finalised. Al-Ashry added that 49 licences were issued for companies working to help Egyptians find employment abroad, with licences for 97 companies renewed. "One company's licence was suspended until they adjust their legal situation and remove the irregularities, and five licences were cancelled for companies with repeated irregularities," Al-Ashry said. She noted that the ministry succeeded in raising the minimum monthly wage at a rate of 50% for Egyptians working in Kuwait, which came into effect on 21 January. This occurred in coordination with officials from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour. Al-Ashry explained that it will increase incomes and remittances coming into Egypt from Egyptians living in Kuwait by at least 30%. The ministry has held 73 seminars to educate workers on the labour law, which benefited 2,507 workers in 13 governorates. The ministry contributed in reducing unemployment and increasing the workforce, as well as integrating handicapped workers into the labour market. They also helped eliminated firms violating the labour law to protect citizens from exploitation. There are currently 3.7 million unemployed in Egypt, or an unemployment rate of 9.2% (amongst male workers) during the last quarter of 2014, compared to 10% for the same period in 2013. Unemployment amongst females reached 24.8% in 2014, compared to 25% during the same period in 2013, according to Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
