Education inequalities and employment outcomes in post-liberalisation Egypt

Shireen AlAzzawi and Vladimir Hlasny

Chapter 6 in Neoliberalism, Inequality and Education, 2026, pp 94-119 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Egypt's education system, once a pillar of social mobility through guaranteed higher education and public sector employment, now faces challenges in delivering equitable outcomes. The 1990s’ neoliberal economic reforms reduced state support for education and the job guarantee, leading to diminished opportunities for quality education and stable employment. This produced a polarised educational landscape with high rates of both university matriculation and illiteracy, alongside a severe skills mismatch leaving graduates—particularly those from vocational tracks—unemployed or confined to precarious jobs. This chapter examines the persistent inequalities in education, focusing on the channeling of low-wealth students toward vocational education and the declining quality of jobs available to graduates of this track, particularly men. For women, the alternative involved leaving the labour market entirely. The chapter also analyses the increasing informality and youth unemployment following the market reforms, distinguishing the public and private sectors, as well as formal and informal labour markets.

Keywords: Education Inequality; School-To-Work Transition; Precarious Employment; Economic Liberalisation; Structural Adjustment Program; Egypt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035363711
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035363728.00011 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:24658_6

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().