Impact Study of Migrant Labour Integration in Egypt

This study will develop a framework for the implementation of a migrant labour market integration initiative, the impact of which can be tracked and measured to better understand the relationship between migrant livelihoods and host state economic goals.

The project will assess the current vulnerabilities faced by different migrant groups in Egypt, which vary both by country of origin and migrant status (regularised migrants, irregular migrants, refugees and asylum seekers). These vulnerabilities range from economic marginalisation, education, healthcare and livelihoods, to SGBV, child labour, and xenophobia, all with a view towards the negative consequences of not providing migrants with formalised access to the labour market. The importance of different migrant groups’ economic integration will be expanded through the assessment of contributions made by migrants in different sectors of the Egyptian labour market, as well as through a cost-benefit analysis for migrant exclusion. Lastly, it will provide recommendations on where and how the Egyptian labour market can absorb categories of migrants while simultaneously protecting and generating local employment and facilitating progress towards macroeconomic imperatives.

The principle beneficiary for the project is the government of Egypt. They will use the findings to better understand how they can more efficiently utilise the significant human resource base afforded to them through the migrant population to positively impact economic growth. Through the findings they will be able to more accurately discern the relationship between resilience and economic, social and political factors, and better target development planning and expenditure, contingency planning and risk appraisal. More broadly, the findings have the potential to benefit other displacement and migratory contexts through more effective development planning, stabilisation and growth. The other key beneficiary group is the participating migrant (regularised, irregular, refugee and asylum seeker) population, and their families.

Secondary beneficiaries include host communities and nationals whose potential to enter the job market is heightened by reducing the number of refugees willing to work for lower wages in the informal economy. A final beneficiary is the international development and humanitarian community that spends tens of millions of dollars annually on refugees through food, shelter and cash support programmes.