Opportunities in Employing Women Technicians

By absorbing more than 52% of young people at the secondary level (43% of which are females), technical secondary education represents the larger part of the Egyptian educational system. Despite this, statistics on labour force participation for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates show a high rate of unemployment with 46.4% outside the labour force (18.7% men and 81.5% women). This study uses a gender lens to assess the technical jobs that are currently available to women technicians. It also seeks to identify the various challenges and opportunities for women technicians’ employment by assessing the current demands and perceptions of employers in terms of women’s skills and limitations. 

This study falls within UN Women’s Egypt Country Office’s programmes “Promoting Productive Employment and Decent Work for Women in Egypt, Jordan and Palestine”, implemented jointly with the International Labour Organization (ILO); and “Women’s Economic Empowerment for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Egypt” implemented jointly with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). These programmes are generously supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC). These programmes are implemented in partnership with the National Council for Women, the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA). The study was conducted by HLB Makary Consulting under a collaboration between UN Women Egypt and the Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD).