Choosing to expand to Egypt means investing in the country and its people. That starts with hiring talented employees you can trust to help build your company. However, you’ll need the time to recruit, hire, and onboard new hires, all while following Egypt’s employment compliance laws.
Recruiting in Egypt
When building your team, you can either hire locals or nationals of other countries. However, the Companies Law of Egypt requires employers to mostly hire locals, as only 10% of the team can be international employees with salaries that do not exceed 20% of total wages. In free zones, 25% of the total employees can be international workers.
Legal and background checks
In Egypt, companies must follow the relevant labor law provisions during recruiting to stay compliant. Employers have the right to collect personal information related to the employment application, compensation, and benefits, but discriminatory practices must be avoided. The Labor Law protects employees from discrimination based on gender, language, origin, or religion.
How to hire employees in Egypt
Hiring employees in Egypt needs to start with an employment contract that’s either fixed-term or indefinite. Egypt allows fixed-term contracts for up to 5 years, but employees who work beyond that period are automatically considered to have indefinite-term contracts.
Companies must create 3 copies of the employment contract, which should be in Arabic or bilingual. It should include certain employment terms such as compensation, benefits, and termination requirements. All offer letters and contracts should include salary and compensation amounts in Egyptian pounds instead of another currency. The employee should receive one of the copies with the other given to the relevant insurance office.
It’s important to note that as of April 2023, 435 specific occupations are subject to skill level assessments by the Ministry of Manpower. Employers hiring for these positions must ensure that candidates complete the assessment prior to hiring.
Egypt employment laws
The typical workweek is 40 hours Sunday through Thursday, with laws limiting working hours to 8 hours daily and 48 hours in a week. Employers should outline any overtime compensation in the employment contract. While Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and trade unions are not as common in Egypt as in other countries, you should still check to see if your industry or team members are covered by one since that can impact the laws and regulations you must follow.
Onboarding in Egypt
Onboarding employees in Egypt must include obtaining certain documents from new hires, such as:
- A scanned copy of their National ID
- Their social security number
- Bank details and SWIFT code
- Original academic certificate
- Photos
- A police check
- Original military certificate (only men)
- Labor certificate
After you curate these documents and information, you’re ready to onboard employees in a way that makes them feel comfortable working for your company. We recommend reviewing the employment contract, your company’s code of conduct, and other relevant factors that will affect the experience these employees have. You can also schedule any training the employee will need during their first week so that they feel confident about their new position.
Grow globally with G-P.
G-P never forgets that behind every hire is a human being. That’s why we’ve backed our fully customizable suite of global employment products with our robust team of HR and legal experts, so we can remain at your side, ready to support you as you build your global teams. With the #1 global employment platform, you have the recruitment tools and services you need to find your perfect full-time or contract match.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you recruit, hire, and onboard anyone, anywhere.