1. Promoting Decent and Productive Employment
of Young People in Rural Areas: A Review of
Strategies and Programmes
West Nuberia Rural Development Programme - Egypt
Bassem S. Mina
ILO – IFAD National Consultant
April13th, 2012
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2. Structure of the presentation
• Key info about the project in Egypt
• Key findings of the study on the decent work
• Key recommendations of the study in relation
to the four pillars of decent work
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3. In Egypt
West Nuberia Rural Development Programme
(WNRDP)
• A 7 year initiative started on 2002 and
undertaken by:
– The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation
(MALR),
– International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD),
– The Italian Government
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4. WNRDP – key facts
• Youth is not an explicit/ direct target group.
• Farmers& Agriculture entrepreneurs are the
main target groups.
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5. Key Findings of
the Study
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6. 1. Employment creation and
enterprise development
• Employment situation is unsatisfactory
– “I spent a lot of money to educate my son and he is not
able to find a proper job”
• Job opportunities are seasonal & related
to agriculture
• Majority of youth are not encouraged to
work in agriculture
– “We don’t make enough money, it is not a prestigious
work”
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7. 1. Employment creation and
enterprise development
• Majority of girls are not allowed to work
out of the villages/ area
– “I am only allowed to work inside my village & with my
family”
• Very few opportunities in other sectors in
rural areas,
• Lack of appropriate financial services to
start-up new business.
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8. Impact on decent work
Youth situation Same Better Worse
• Current employment 81% 19% 0%
• Finding an employment in the
73% 25% 2%
job market
• Professional skills 68% 30% 2%
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9. 2. Working conditions and social
protection
• Youth mentioned that working conditions are
far from their satisfactions/ expectations
• lack of proper working conditions (Y, E & CL)
– Working opportunities are temporary and seasonal,
– No social and/ or health insurance,
– No contracts.
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10. 2. Working conditions and social
protection
• Entrepreneurs are not able to offer decent
and sustainable jobs due to:
– Lack of business’ income,
– Business’ sustainability,
– Business’ difficulties.
• Lack of awareness/ knowledge about
working conditions (Y, E & CL)
– “I contribute with money in major accidents and this
the best that I know and do in this issue”
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11. Impact on decent work
Youth situation Same Better Worse
• Wages 88% 8% 4%
• Working hours 90% 7% 3%
• Occupational safety &
health and other working 85% 14% 1%
conditions
• Existence of an mployment
90% 7.5% 2.5%
contract
• Social security 93.5% 2.5% 4%
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12. 3. Rights at work
• Youth work is temporary and on a daily basis –
limited rights at work.
• Informal legal status of business leads to limited
workers’ rights,
• Good salaries and regular payment are still rare
• Very little awareness on workers’ rights and
entitlements at the level of:
– Workers
– Entrepreneurs
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13. Impact on decent work
Rights % Note
a. Pension 1.5%
The one who answered
b. Health insurance 1.5% YES to these rights was
c. Unemployment 1.5% government officer
insurance
d. Leave 1.5%
e. None 94%
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14. 4. Workers’ and employers’
organization and social dialogue
• Lack of awareness and knowledge
• Lack of exiting structure at community levels
• Workers confirmed that they don’t have a
negotiating power with employers
• Social dialogue
– No answers were received from the respondents on
this issue
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15. Impact on decent work
Workers’ membership No. %
Workers members of trade unions 1 2%
Workers are not members of 54 93%
trade unions
Entrepreneurs’ membership No. %
Entrepreneurs members of 0 0%
employers organization
Workers are not members of 89 100%
employers organizations
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16. Key Recommendations
of the Study
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17. 1.Employment creation and
enterprise development
• Employability
– Understand existing gaps between HR situation to
business needs in rural areas (qualifications, youth
readiness, area’s potentiality, etc.)
– Link education and training to local needs to
overcome the gaps including entrepreneurship
training & skills development
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18. 1.Employment creation and
enterprise development
• Enterprise development
– Support micro and small entrepreneurs to formalize
their business
– Reach out to existing and new businesses with
appropriate services to create and offer more jobs
– Establish pilot clusters of complementary of small
business in the same rural area (Y, E & CL)
– Introduce tailored financial & non-financial services
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19. 2. Working condition and social
protection
• Integrate in early stages of education &
vocational training issues as occupational
safety & health and other working conditions
• Provide package of business support service
that include means to improve working
conditions
• Support the formalization of informal activities
– “I need to work with registered workshop, this should
improve my working conditions”
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20. 3. Rights at work
• Awareness and educational campaigns
• Agree on basic criteria (Code of Ethics) for
minimum rights in rural areas
– “I would like to ensure that I get my fair daily wages
by the end of my work”
• Creation of a knowledge and practice
sharing mechanisms in rural communities.
• Help employers improve their businesses’
management and performance.
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21. 4. Workers and employers
organization & social dialogue
• Improve the efficiency of the CDAs and
empower youth groups to be more active
• Support the establishment of workers’
organizations, and youth & business
associations in rural areas
• Support initiatives to promote social dialogue
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22. THANK YOU
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