COUNTRY

Employment contracts in Egypt must be written in Arabic. They are based either on duration or work completion. Duration-based contracts are either definite or indefinite. Definite contracts have a designated period, while indefinite contracts are continuous until an employer or employee initiates termination. Work completion-based contracts have a designated completion of specified work.

The standard work period in Egypt is 48 hours per week and eight hours per day with a one-hour break. Employees receive 24 hours of weekly rest. An employee shall not be made to work more than five continuous hours per day without a break or a maximum of 10 hours per day, including overtime. Overtime is capped at two hours per day.

An employee is entitled to a total of one year of sick leave in Egypt every three years. Benefits are paid from Egypt’s social security system. Employees can also use any accrued but unused annual leave.

A female employee is entitled to 90 days of fully paid maternity leave in Egypt. She must spend at least 10 months working before qualifying for maternity leave. Maternity leave is granted twice per employee. Employees generally begin maternity leave within 45 days before the delivery date and must take at least 45 days of leave after delivery. Male employees do not receive any paternity leave.

Egypt has a minimum wage. Bonuses are common, but they are not required.

A full-time employee under the age of 50 is entitled to 21 days of fully paid leave after one year of service. At least six days must be taken consecutively. This leave is increased to 30 days after 10 years of employment, or after reaching the age of 50, whichever comes first. If employment is less than a year, then the leave is in proportion to the period of employment.

In Egypt, the public holidays are:

• Coptic Christmas Day

• Sinai Liberation Day

• Labor Day

• Spring Festival

• Eid Al Fitr

• Eid Al-Adha

• Revolution Day

• Islamic New Year

• Armed Forces Day

• Birthday of the Prophet

Egypt offers universal healthcare.

The termination of an employment relationship in Egypt is regulated by the type of contract signed by the employer and employee. A contract for a definite time period is terminated either by the expiration of its period or by the employer for cause. A contract for an indefinite time period may also be terminated by the employer for delinquency, insufficiency of ability or total disability of the employee. To initiate termination, an employer is required to give a two-month notice period to an employee whose service did not exceed 10 years, and a three-month notice period if the service exceeded 10 years.