75% of Egypt families suffer drop in income due to COVID-19

Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) has found 73.5 per cent of families suffered a reduction in their income due to COVID-19 pandemic, local news agencies reported yesterday.

A total of 60.3 per cent of CAPMAS’ study respondents noted that the decrease in their income happened due to precautionary measures imposed by the government to curb the spread of the virus.

Up to 26.2 per cent reported that they were left unemployed, and the lower demand for certain activities affected 31.5 per cent of respondents.

READ: Egypt surpasses 50,000 confirmed coronavirus cases

The study found that 61.9 per cent of respondents’ job statuses changed, with over half of the employed workers, or 55.7 per cent, reporting they now work fewer days or hours. A total of 18.1 per cent turned to part time work.

About half of the families of the respondents borrow money to manage daily needs, with approximately 17 per cent dependent on humanitarian aid.

Some 48.2 per cent of families in rural areas said they believed they would suffer a further decline in their income over the next three months, compared to 43.3 per cent of those in urban areas.