The Egyptian Ministry of Labour has introduced new job opportunities for its citizens to work in EU and Balkan countries, including Serbia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus.
Heba Ahmed, the Director of the Operations Department, noted an increasing demand for Egyptian workers, particularly the skilled ones, in the construction sector of various countries. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were some of those, VisaGuide.World reports.
As she said in a statement for the Middle East News Agency, the Egyptian authorities have introduced several opportunities for people who are looking to work overseas in compliance with international standards, wages, and an appropriate workplace for Egyptian workers.
She also pointed out that the ministry has successfully abolished the phenomenon of labor agents by offering options and lawful methods of employment, including employment through companies licensed by the ministry to work outside the country.
Moreover, the ministry will supervise these companies in order to prevent any potential scams or any other issues. It was further noted that the ministry’s website already provides data about 1,400 licensed companies.
Egypt Aims to Raise Number of Expats in EU & US By 1 Million
There are around 9.5 million Egyptian expats, while the estimated number stands at 13 million, as revealed by some earlier statistics from the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Expats.
However, the Egyptian government is aiming to raise the figure of Egyptian expats by one million. Such a move follows about 100 million labour shortages reported across the European Union and the United States, as reported earlier by EgyptToday newspaper.
Artificial intelligence, information technology, nursing, and biotechnology are some of the sectors where Egyptian workers are expected to work in these countries.
In addition to the number of expats, Egypt aims to increase remittances by ten percent yearly, thus reaching $53 billion.
EU Is Facing Shortages in Several Sectors, Especially in Construction
The Egyptian government’s decision to expand work opportunities to the EU and Balkans may help alleviate labor shortages identified recently across the EU.
The 2023 EURES report on shortages and surpluses showed that EU countries are grappling with labor shortages in different sectors, including construction and engineering, crafts, healthcare, and IT.
As further highlighted in this report, 40 shortage occupations were severely affected by the lack of workers. Meanwhile, construction emerged among the sectors with the most severe shortages.
The shortages in the sector are not solely due to the low number of people employed but are also a matter of skills mismatch. Numerous occupations in this sector require new or changing skills due to the digital and green transition which are not yet provided by a sufficient number of workers.
Construction is considered the EU’s biggest industrial employer, with nearly 13 million workers across Europe.