Egypt's national institutions agree on roadmap to strengthen labour migration statistics

Cairo, Egypt (ILO News)– Egypt's national institutions have agreed on a roadmap to strengthen labour migration statistics, marking a step towards a more coordinated and internationally aligned labour migration data system.

The roadmap establishes, for the first time, a common framework for the institutions responsible for producing and managing labour migration data. By strengthening institutional coordination, harmonizing statistical practices and improving the quality and comparability of labour migration information, it will provide a stronger foundation for evidence-based labour migration policies, labour market planning and sustainable development.

Developed through technical cooperation between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) under the European Union-funded Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa (THAMM Plus) programme, the roadmap reflects nearly three years of collaboration to strengthen Egypt's labour migration information system.

The work builds on a national diagnostic assessment conducted during the first phase of the THAMM programme, which identified the need to strengthen administrative labour migration data, improve coordination among national institutions and align statistical practices with international standards.

The roadmap sets out practical measures to improve the production, exchange and use of labour migration data. Key actions include harmonizing concepts, definitions and classifications across institutions, establishing a technical working group to coordinate labour migration statistics, strengthening electronic data exchange, and producing Egypt's first unified labour migration statistical bulletin.

Implementation will be led by CAPMAS in collaboration with the national institutions responsible for labour migration data, including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labour, Interior, Social Solidarity, Education and Technical Education, the National Organization for Social Insurance, the Central Bank of Egypt, Al-Azhar, the Ministry of Endowments and the League of Arab States.

The roadmap was agreed during a three-day technical workshop that brought together around 35 representatives from these institutions. Discussions were informed by the 2023 ILO recommendations on labour migration statistics and the United Nations conceptual framework on international migration, while exploring practical approaches to strengthening the use of administrative data alongside censuses and labour force surveys.

Implementation will continue through 2027 under the leadership of CAPMAS, supporting closer collaboration among national institutions and improving the availability of reliable and internationally comparable labour migration data. By strengthening Egypt's labour migration information system, the roadmap will support the development of more evidence-based labour migration policies, strengthen labour market planning and contribute to monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Target 10.7 on facilitating orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people.