Egypt Forum proposes EGP 15,000 minimum wage by fiscal 2029/30
Egypt’s prime minister presented a forum recommendation to raise the minimum wage from EGP 8,000 to EGP 15,000 by fiscal 2029/30. The proposal sets a future income objective rather than an immediate increase. A National Wages Council member said the council had not yet met to discuss a corresponding private-sector change.
Economics & Markets··Night
The forum sets a future wage objective
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly presented a recommendation to raise the minimum wage from 8,000 to 15,000 Egyptian pounds by fiscal 2029/30. He outlined the proposal at the October 24 closing session of Egypt Forum, a six-day gathering of officials, experts and citizens discussing development priorities. The forum also recommended increasing average employee wages by at least 50 percent by the end of that fiscal year. The announcement presents future wage objectives rather than an immediate change in pay.[1], [2]
The wage council has yet to discuss a private-sector change
Alaa al-Saqti, a member of Egypt’s National Wages Council, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the council had not yet met to discuss a corresponding increase for private-sector workers. He said no date for such a meeting had been set. In discussing whether the 15,000-pound level could be achieved by 2030, he made that assessment conditional on inflation staying at or below 10 percent and the dollar exchange rate not exceeding 60 pounds. Those were his conditions for feasibility.[2]
Existing private-sector obligations remain separate
Al-Saqti also said private-sector minimum wages would rise in January 2027 under the labour law. He described exemptions as limited to financially distressed establishments and said companies that failed to apply the required increase would face the law’s penalties. His remarks distinguish that existing wage-setting obligation from the forum’s longer-term 15,000-pound recommendation. The council’s future deliberations would concern the private-sector counterpart to the new target.[2]
