Egypt mulls raising minimum wage for private sector workers

The Egyptian government is considering raising the minimum wage for private sector employees “to mitigate national inflation implications.”

The Vice President of the Egyptian Labour Union, Magdy Al-Badawy, said in a statement that the country’s National Wages Council (NWC) was planning to hold “deliberations with the private sector in order to raise workers’ minimum wage from 2,400 [$131.45] to 2,700 Egyptian pounds [$147.88].”

Al-Badawy pointed out that the consultations would be held in the “last quarter of the current year,” adding that the implementation phase would take place in early 2023.

In April, Egypt’s annual inflation rate amounted to 14.9 per cent, compared to 4.4 per cent in the same month of 2021.

Last month, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly raised the minimum wage for all state employees from 2,400 Egyptian pounds ($131) to 2,700 pounds ($147.43).

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