The poor in the Egyptian labor market during an adjustment period : for better or for worse

الملخص EN

The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes in the level and distribution of earnings in the Egyptian labour market and the main factors underlying these changes during the period of the Egypt Reform and Structural Adjustment Program (ERSAP 91).

Geographically, the paper is concerned with Egypt as a whole, and the time period is 1988-1998.

The methodology used in this paper is based on a comparison between two sets of micro data at the household level, before and after the implementation of ERSAP 91, using earning percentiles, variances and percentile differentials.

The main finding is a decrease in earnings inequality in Egypt during the study period.