Egypt is considered a transcontinental country as it spans the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula.

It’s bordered by Sudan, Libya, Israel, the Gaza Strip of Palestine, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea. Egypt has one of the longest documented histories of any country, and is now considered as a regional power in North Africa and the Middle East.

The minimum wage in Egypt is EGP 7,000 per month. Standard work hours are 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. Any work performed beyond 40 hours per week is treated as overtime and compensated at 135% of the regular rate, or 170% if performed at night.

Parental Leave

Pregnant employees are entitled to 4 months of paid maternity leave paid at 100% of their salary. Mothers can also take up to 2 years of unpaid leave for each child.

Sick Leave

Employees in Egypt are entitled to 180 days of paid sick leave each year, which is paid at 75% of their regular salary for the first 90 days and then at 80% for the next 90 days.

Paid Leave

There are 14 public holidays in Egypt, and employees who have worked 6 months at their company are also entitled to 15 days of paid time off in the first year, which increases to 21 days after one year of service. Employees who are over 50 or have worked at the company for 10+ years are entitled to 30 days. Employees can also qualify for adoption leave, casual leave, or pilgrimage leave once in their career.

Process

Employment contracts can only be terminated at the end of the contract term or if there is just cause, such as misconduct, negligence, fraud, or other work-related offenses. An employee who is terminated unfairly will be entitled to severance pay.

Notice Period

Notice periods depend on the employee’s length of time at the company, and range from 2 months to 3 months for employees who have been at a company for 5+ years.

Severance Pay

Severance payments are only mandatory in cases of terminations without just cause or economic reasons. In these cases, the employee is entitled to half a month’s pay for each of the first 5 years of service, and 1 month’s pay for every year thereafter. Employees with definite term contracts that are terminated unfairly before they expire are entitled to receive the remaining pay stipulated in the contract.

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