The School to work transition and youth economic vulnerability in Egypt

This paper explores the school-to-work transition patterns of young people in Egypt over the past two decades (1998-2018). In particular, it seeks to update the findings on labor market insertion trajectories using data from the most recent Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS) fielded in 2018 along with its predecessor surveys in 1998, 2006 and 2012. The analysis makes use of the 2018 labor market history module to elicit information on early labor market outcomes such as the time taken to find the first job and the type of job found after completing education. We also define youth economic vulnerability in the work setting and investigate its symptoms in the Egyptian labor market including forms of precarious employment (such as informality and irregular work). Finally, we shed light on socioeconomic status as one of the potential channels behind this vulnerability. Results reveal a rise in informal employment among youth in recent years and suggest that belonging to a lower socioeconomic bracket (as proxied by mother’s education and father’s occupation) increases exposure to informality.