Women account for more than half of Egypt’s university graduates, yet their representation in the labour market remains significantly lower, according to a new data analysis of women’s participation in employment trends.
The report, based on data from WUZZUF covering January to December 2025, analysed more than 5.4 million job applications submitted by over 400,000 active job seekers across more than 50,000 job postings, examining application behaviour, employer engagement, interview progression, and salary expectations.
The findings showed that women represent around 53% of university graduates in Egypt, but account for only 33% of university-educated workers and 29% of the total workforce, highlighting a gap between educational attainment and labour market participation.
Despite lower overall participation, women’s applications recorded stronger employer engagement during early recruitment stages. Women’s applications received 6.2% more employer views than men’s and generated 1.4% higher rates of employer outreach and interview opportunities per application.
However, women remain underrepresented among job seekers and applicants. Women accounted for 41% of job seekers on the platform in 2025, but represented only 29% of total applications submitted. On average, female applicants applied for 10.6 jobs compared with 14 jobs per male applicant.
The report identified limited access to flexible work arrangements as one of the key barriers affecting women’s participation. While 18% of women prefer fully remote work, only 7% of available job postings offered remote options.
It also found that women on the platform are more concentrated in early career stages, with students and fresh graduates representing 51% of female users compared with 37% of male users. Meanwhile, experienced and managerial profiles accounted for 45% of women compared with 57% of men.
Regarding salary expectations, the report found that women’s expectations generally aligned with market ranges for the roles they applied for, while men’s expectations exceeded upper salary bands by up to 12%.
The analysis also showed that gender-neutral job postings offered the highest average salaries at EGP 19,000, compared with EGP 18,000 for male-targeted roles and EGP 13,000 for female-targeted positions.
The findings come amid broader efforts to increase women’s economic participation and address labour market gaps through improved access to employment opportunities and more inclusive workplace practices.