Straightening the long queue by tackling ‘kosa’, corruption, inefficiency, and unfair compensation is the government’s aim with a proposed new law for public sector jobs. But is the government willing to reform a system plagued by low wages, dissatisfaction, and unaccountability?

The cabinet’s group for political and legislative affairs held a meeting at the end of August to discuss a proposed new law for public sector jobs. The group included the ministers of legal and parliamentary affairs, administrative development, social solidarity, and several legal experts.

Mufid Shehab, Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, who chaired the meeting, stated that the group had reviewed the new law and would begin studying it in detail soon.

According to Shehab, the law aims to establish new rules for government employees and streamline procedures for hiring, contracting, transferring, and mandating. It is designed to address longstanding issues of accountability, auditing, compensation, rewards, and job hierarchy. During the same meeting, the group also discussed the prime minister’s decree to form a collaborative anti-corruption committee.

This official awakening follows mounting social anger over corruption in public sector hiring, which has been expressed in various forums. Recently, an Egyptian Facebook group called No for Connections, the Age Cancer gained attention, attracting more than 630 members to date.

There is now a widespread belief that for Egyptians born and raised in poverty, success is unlikely without a kosa. The Arabic word for zucchini, kosa also colloquially refers to a powerful connection that can open doors to employment.

The public sector has undergone a significant image shift. In the early 20th century, a government job—symbolised by a suit, tie, and tarbush (the traditional hat before the 1952 revolution)—was the ultimate aspiration for youth, offering both social prestige and financial security.

Now, in the first decade of the 21st century, public sector jobs are tainted by corruption, both in how they are obtained and in how work is conducted. Furthermore, these positions no longer guarantee even minimal social security or welfare.

Some public sectors, such as oil, gas, electricity, and communications, are still highly sought after. However, these roles are often linked to bribery, offering four-digit salaries to the well-connected. Jobs are sometimes not advertised at all, or advertised only as a formality after they have already been allocated to someone with the right connections.

The government, through this initiative, appears to have set itself an arduous and complex task. The irony is that much of the road ahead has been paved by its own mismanagement.

Public Sector Loses Out to Private and Gulf Jobs

Despite the overwhelming demand for public sector jobs among average Egyptians, many highly qualified government employees are leaving their positions vacant to pursue opportunities in the private sector or higher-paying roles in Gulf countries.

According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Ahmed Darwish, Minister of Administrative Development, admitted that the government is facing shortages in several technical specialties because it cannot compete with the salaries offered by the private sector or other Arab nations.

In recent months, there have been growing calls for a fair minimum wage of no less than LE1,200 to cover basic human needs. Meanwhile, professionals in Gulf countries, such as engineers, programmers, and accountants, often start with salaries around LE10,000.

Salah Nasr, head of the labour division at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, strongly criticised the government’s proposal to raise the minimum wage for public employees to just LE900. He argued that this figure is insufficient, particularly given the government’s efforts to retain employees in critical specialties.

Inequity in Public Pay 

Public sector salaries in Egypt are made up of multiple components, leaving many employees unable to predict their exact monthly earnings.

At the core is the basic salary, determined by a system of job grades ranging from Grade Six at the bottom to Grade One at the top of the hierarchy. A periodical increment is added to this amount. Introduced in 1987, a special increment is also added to the basic salary after five years.

Another component is the variable pay, which includes non-guaranteed special increments derived from the basic salary—reaching 95 per cent of the basic salary by July 2009. Additional elements include a LE10 social increment established in 1982 and a monthly LE10 labour aid. Other rewards may also be granted, depending on the employee’s job grade.

Instead of raising basic salaries to realistic minimum wage levels, the government has opted for this patchwork system of increments, rewards, and aids to ease employee dissatisfaction. However, the total remains far below an acceptable standard.

For instance, a Grade Six employee has an average basic monthly salary of LE150 but receives a total monthly income of only around LE450.

Parallel Pay, Parallel Problems

Since government pay regulations fail to attract highly qualified employees with distinguished experience, an unofficial, highly paid parallel employment system has emerged to meet critical needs.

This system has become a chronic feature of the administrative structure, leading to significant issues. Chief among them is the division of the state’s administrative workforce into poorly paid and well-paid groups, which creates duality and contradictions in decision-making. Dissatisfaction and depression are rampant among employees on the traditional pay track.

Moreover, the sustainability of this parallel system is uncertain due to its unofficial status. This undermines the credibility of decisions made by elite employees, who often lack real accountability.

Jonathan Salevarakis, a labour economics professor at the American University in Cairo, argues that the demand for public sector jobs will persist despite malpractice in the system. ‘Simply because there are worse practices in the private sector,’ he says, referring to companies that exploit their freedom to violate basic labour rules that are considered standard in other markets.

Salevarakis adds: ‘If the government reforms its public job regulations, addressing corruption, inefficiency, and unrealistic wages, the private sector will be forced to follow suit to avoid losing current or potential employees.’

Another version of this article is published by AlBorsa English