Who is covered and who underreports: Access to social insurance on the Egyptian labor market

Authors

Irene Selwaness, Population Council
Rania Roushdy, Population Council

Document Type

Brief

Publication Date

2011

Abstract

In Egypt, as in many developing countries, the convergence of poverty and lack of social security places the working poor in a vulnerable situation that mandates immediate action in research and programmatic interventions. Before the January 25th revolution, a focus on social security was relevant in view of the insecurities instigated by increasing market liberalization and the shrinking role of the state in services and employment. The revolution and its aftermath heightened a sense of insecurity and labor protests mandated a serious re-evaluation of recent labor market policies and the social protection system in Egypt. Issues of social security, employment, and household livelihood strategies are of particular relevance now more than ever. This policy brief identifies the worker- and enterprise-level determinants of having social insurance coverage on the Egyptian labor market among wage and nonwage workers. It also sheds light on the phenomenon of underreporting the basic salary to the social security authority in the private wage sector.

DOI

10.31899/pgy12.1010

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Selwaness, Irene and Rania Roushdy. 2011. "Who is covered and who underreports: Access to social insurance on the Egyptian labor market," Gender and Work in the MENA Region Policy Brief. Cairo: Population Council.