Hassan Shehata, Minister of Manpower, in an exclusive interview with “Defenders of the Earth”

Hassan Shehata, “Minister of Manpower”:

• The number of workers who were hired in the last period exceeded 17,000 workers.
• We adopted a plan to develop the vocational training system, according to the conditions ofSustainability; In order to return workers to the labor market.
• We coordinated with the Ministry of Education and the Federation of Egyptian Industries; In order to develop curricula and infrastructure in technical education schools, in line with sustainability plans.
• We completed the second phase of launching the national employment strategy, in coordination with the International Labor Organization.
• The file of people of determination was one of the most prominent files to which His Excellency the President has paid great attention since he assumed that responsibility.
• Due to the successive global crises that affected the Egyptian state, living conditions doubled the pressures on Egyptian workers internally and externally, and fears increased that this would reflect a rise in unemployment rates.

Hence, it was incumbent upon “Earth Guards” to open this file with the person most worthy of touching the pain of Egyptian workers, because of his long history in this sector. In one of his terms, he headed the Workers’ Union, and now he is in charge of them. He is Minister ofWorkforceHassan Shehata, who opened the door for us to dialogue with him about a number of issues that concern his fellow workers, highlighting the opportunities that the Ministry periodically announces; To join 17 thousand workers, for whom the Ministry provided real job opportunities... So here are the lines of our interview with him.

At the beginning of his speech, the Minister of Manpower highlighted the Ministry’s role in supporting the vocational training system for employment, in line with the sustainability conditions approved by the United Nations. He praised the Ministry’s efforts, and among these efforts: the vocational training plan for the fiscal year 2022-2023, which is implemented in 75 vocational training centers nationwide. The Minister pointed out that among these centers, 38 are fixed centers, 10 of which are fixed training units, in addition to 27 mobile training units. With a total of 479 training courses distributed over 49 professions, these training courses aim to train 9,448 young men and women.

In the same context, Shehata confirmed the ministry’s readiness - during the current year 2023 - to launch 11 new mobile training units in the governorates; To train young people in professions needed by the internal labor market, as these centers operate within the framework of the presidential initiative “A Decent Life” and “Your Profession, Your Future,” which is implemented by the Ministry.

Here the Minister reported that 248 training courses - according to the Ministry’s latest reports from August 2022, until March 2023 - had been implemented in the fixed vocational training centers affiliated with the Ministry; 2678 applicants benefited from it. In addition to implementing 48 training courses in the Ministry's mobile units, which benefited 720 trainees in the villages most in need. Also, raising the efficiency of 11 mobile training units, in preparation for launching them among the villages and hamlets of the governorates targeted by the “Decent Life” initiative. To train young men of both sexes. Regarding this development process, the Minister stated that it was completed - completely - by the hands of the Ministry’s workers, using their tools and equipment inside the technical workshop of the Ministry’s General Office.

These efforts were not the only efforts made by the Ministry of Manpower. Rather, the Ministry sought to provide a mobile training unit to train Bedouin girls from the South Sinai Governorate in the city of St. Catherine, and make it present in their places of residence. To relieve them of the burden of the hardship of moving to fixed training locations.

With regard to training initiatives, the Minister of Manpower explained that preparations are underway to sign a cooperation protocol with the “Ebda” Company for Project Development, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Federation of Industries, and the Training and Qualification Fund Fund affiliated with the Ministry of Manpower. The protocol includes implementing a plan to develop and manage training centers affiliated with the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Industry, and the Production Efficiency Department. It also helps to provide technical, vocational and educational training for Egyptian workers in accordance with international standards, as well as seeking to change the societal culture towards technical workers.

Shehata pointed out that within the ministry’s efforts in the vocational training system for employment, in accordance with the conditions of sustainability approved by the United Nations - implementing a plan to develop the vocational training system in accordance with the latest international training methods; By adding training on various technological systems, to prepare young graduates for the digital jobs of the future. The Ministry also granted 158,748 certificates measuring skill level, so that the worker can obtain a job opportunity - whether at home or abroad - or obtain a license to practice the craft, or advance in his career path.

Regarding all of these activities and events, we decided to ask the Minister of Manpower for clarification about their feasibility in reducing unemployment rates, and about the degree of their contribution to providing real job opportunities for young people, as he explained: “According to the latest statistics of the Ministry - during the period from August 2022 until March 2023 - the following is revealed: We have completed the second phase of launching the National Employment Strategy, which we are carrying out in coordination with the International Labor Organization, and we have also finished studying the current situation (diagnostic study) With all partners. Also, 17,335 workers were employed during the period from mid-August 2022 to date, and this was through the National Employment Bulletin and employment forums in the workforce directorates at the national level.”

The minister added: Establishing procedures and controls to regulate the process of recruiting trained and qualified Egyptian workers, as well as seasonal workers during the Hajj and Umrah seasons for the year 2023, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 9 employment forums were held in 9 governorates, which provided 24,196 job opportunities for young people of various qualifications and specializations. 255 companies participated in these forums. As well as the opening and operation of the Egyptian Labor Services Unit Abroad “attached to the Ministry building.” To facilitate the access of workers wishing to travel abroad to the Ministry’s services, and to complete their procedures easily and smoothly.

Regarding the ministry’s plan to support irregular workers, Minister of Manpower Hassan Shehata stressed the extent of interest in President Sisi’s directives to the government to support irregular workers, especially during the Corona pandemic, as the state provided a presidential grant to this category that was affected by that pandemic, and this presidential grant was disbursed to irregular workers at a cost of 4.586 billion pounds in 6 installments. Shehata pointed out that the health and social care accounts in the workforce directorates contributed 1.4 billion pounds.

The Minister confirmed that the presidential directives included a rapid inventory and expansion of the irregular employment database, indicating that the Ministry has worked on implementing these directives. This results - through the latest inventory of the measures taken by the Ministry - during the past 8 months as follows:

1- Establishing an executive unit to manage irregular employment accounts at the national level, which will be under the direct supervision of the Minister; It aims to tighten control over irregular labor resources and their disbursements, by establishing controls and procedures for organizing these accounts, in accordance with Resolution No. (304) of 2022.

2- Beginning work with the Ministry of Communications, to digitize irregular employment services and data; To create a unified database, which will contribute to providing information to decision makers, and provide precise and accurate mechanisms to support and provide job opportunities.

What the Minister alluded to - as a result of these presidential directives - is the ongoing modernization of financial and administrative regulations for the employment of irregular workers, and the classification of their categories, including: contracting workers - seasonal agricultural workers - sea workers and sailors’ employment offices - miners and quarry workers - bakery workers and bakers’ employment offices. He stated that the numbers say: The number of irregular workers in the ministry’s database is 335 thousand irregular workers. It is a small number that is not proportional to the actual size.

Therefore - according to the new plan - the Ministry aims to include 2.5 million irregular workers during the current year, as it will allow the registration and subscription process through the worker himself, and this with a symbolic subscription, and not only through the contractor, as irregular workers will be supported with fixed grants - numbering 4 times each year: on Eid Al-Fitr and Al-Adha, Labor Day, and the Prophet’s Birthday. It also aims to provide care and protection in times of crises facing the worker, such as injury or death, through compensation starting from ten thousand pounds, and may reach 200 thousand pounds.

Here, “Hamat Al-Earth” decided to ask the Minister of Manpower about how the Emergency Benefits Fund pays the wages of workers in troubled companies, and he answered this, saying: “At the last meeting of the Board of Directors of the Emergency Benefits Fund for Workers affiliated with the Ministry of Manpower - he revealed the total amount that the Fund spent to support workers in troubled companies since its founding in 2003 until March 2023, and this total amounted to 2 billion and 188 million And 700 thousand pounds in emergency subsidies from the Fund for the wages of these workers, and 422 thousand and 743 workers working in 3,969 establishments benefited from them, including 1 billion and 600 million for the tourism sector only during the Corona pandemic.”

Last but not least, we had a desire to shed light on the issue of integrating people of determination, because of its great importance in sustainability plans. In this regard, the Minister of Manpower referred to the measures taken by the Ministry to implement presidential directives regarding this matter. Explaining the Ministry’s reliance in implementing the mandate of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on three axes: inventory, training, and employment. The Ministry considered the file of people of determination the most prominent file to which His Excellency the President has given great attention since he assumed that responsibility. Hence, the year 2018 was called the Year of People of Determination, and Law No. (10) of 2018 was issued for the benefit of this group within society.

Regarding the Ministry’s steps in implementing the President’s new directive to integrate people of determination into the labor market, Hassan Shehata - Minister of Manpower - referred to the issuance of Ministerial Resolution No. (22) of 2023 regarding the formation of the central unit; To continue training, employing, and caring for people with disabilities, under the chairmanship of the Minister and the membership of representatives of the ministries and concerned authorities. In addition to holding a weekly meeting with the directors of the workforce directorates in the governorates, to follow up on the extent of the establishments’ commitment to meeting the 5% set, and to quickly direct the inventory of these establishments.

Indicating that the various directorates have identified - from January to April 2023 - 16,124 establishments, which are establishments in which twenty or more workers work, out of 23,660 establishments; This is based on social insurance data; To find out the extent to which the 5% percentage has been met in accordance with Law No. (10) of 2018. Confirming that it has become clear to the Ministry that the number of workers in those establishments - out of a total of 23,660 establishments - that have been counted so far is 1,899,518 workers.

While the number required to be appointed to fulfill the proportion of people of determination in these facilities that have been enumerated is 94,797 thousand workers, and that only 56,923 thousand workers have been appointed, and the remaining 37,876 thousand workers to be fulfilled for appointment, the directorates and their competent offices are communicating daily with these facilities, and are conducting the rest of the inventory, training and employment process, and 5 thousand have been appointed. And 665 people of determination are in private sector facilities nationwide, and this is during the inventory, training and employment process currently underway.

Hassan Shehata also stated that the Ministry of Manpower seeks - with the participation of the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Social Solidarity - to launch a national platform for services for people with disabilities. For the same goal, the Minister referred to a ministerial mandate to allocate percentages of the number of trainees in vocational training centers across the Republic to people of determination, to qualify and train them for the labor market, as well as allocating percentages of employment contracts within the employment forums organized by the Ministry during the past periods to people of determination as well, and allocating a percentage of the jobs in the bi-monthly employment bulletin that the Ministry announces to people of determination, knowing that the president’s assignments to integrate people of determination into the labor market continue within the framework of the inventory and training plan. And operations carried out by the Ministry.

In conclusion, it is worth noting the Ministry of Manpower’s keenness to implement the mandates issued by the Presidency of the Republic and the Prime Minister’s Council regarding transferring the state’s administrative apparatus to the Administrative Capital. Therefore, all transferred workers were tested (tests in Arabic, English, computers, and behavioral competencies tests); So that each transferred employee has a clear picture of his evaluation points; Then coordinate with the Central Agency for Organization and Administration to conduct training for the transferred employees according to the results of the tests.

In this regard, the Ministry of Manpower coordinated with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, in order to train the transferred workers on digital transformation programs, and train them on the systems used in the Administrative Capital, in addition to training workers in the Digital Transformation Department on how to deal with the existing systems there, and work on archiving documents for each department.