The unemployment rate in Egypt has risen to 12.6% during the third quarter (Q3) of 2016, up from 12.5% in the second quarter (Q2), according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). The third quarter is usually when new graduates join the market with different degrees, including medium education qualifications, above medium, and university degrees, the agency said in a press release on Wednesday about manpower for Q3. CAPMAS stated that the size of manpower in Egypt in Q3 of this year reached 28.8 million individuals, an increase of 289,000 individuals, up 1% from Q2, and 814,000 or 2.9% more than Q3 of 2015. It added that the number of unemployed individuals registered 3.6 million people, 80,000 more than the previous quarter. Moreover, CAPMAS explained that the unemployment rate among men amounted to 8.7% of the total men in the job market, compared to 8.5% in the previous quarter, and 9.3% in Q3 of 2015. The unemployment rate among women recorded 25.9% of the total women considered, up from 25.6% in the previous quarter and 24.9% in Q3 of 2015. The report noted that unemployment rate in urban areas reached 14.2% of the total labour force, increasing from 14.1% in Q2, but down from 15% in Q3 of 2015. The unemployment rate in rural areas was less than in urban areas, setting 11.4% of the total labour force in rural areas, up from 11.2% in both the quarter before and Q3 of 2015.
