The Harmonized Employment, Wage and Working Hours, HEWW 2023
Egypt, Arab Rep.
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Reference ID
EGY_HEWW_2023_HD_V1
Producer(s)
Central Agency For Public Mobilization & Statistics
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Created on
Dec 16, 2025
Last modified
Dec 16, 2025
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991
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Identification
Survey ID
EGY_HEWW_2023_HD_V1
Title
The Harmonized Employment, Wage and Working Hours, HEWW 2023
Abbreviation or acronym
HEWW 2023
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Egypt | EGY |
Study type
Enterprise Survey [en/oth]
Series information
A yearly survey collected by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS)
Abstract
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THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS (CAPMAS)
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The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics collects annual establishment data on employment size, average wages, and average monthly working hours in public business sector and private sector establishments. These data provide indicators by economic activity (excluding agricultural activities not conducted within establishments), geographical distribution, and occupational classification.
Egypt has extensive experience in conducting establishment surveys. The first establishment survey on employment, wages, and hours of work was carried out in 1942, twice a year-in January and July. The current survey programme is implemented annually, using June as the reference period. In 2020, the survey design was revised to enable the collection of occupational wage data for individual sampled employees at the 6-digit level of the occupational classification. A further major revision was introduced in 2022, adding new sections to gather information on the skills required for occupations represented in the sample of establishment workers, as well as the skills required for current vacancies, and those anticipated for future recruitment.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS (CAPMAS)
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics collects annual establishment data on employment size, average wages, and average monthly working hours in public business sector and private sector establishments. These data provide indicators by economic activity (excluding agricultural activities not conducted within establishments), geographical distribution, and occupational classification.
Egypt has extensive experience in conducting establishment surveys. The first establishment survey on employment, wages, and hours of work was carried out in 1942, twice a year-in January and July. The current survey programme is implemented annually, using June as the reference period. In 2020, the survey design was revised to enable the collection of occupational wage data for individual sampled employees at the 6-digit level of the occupational classification. A further major revision was introduced in 2022, adding new sections to gather information on the skills required for occupations represented in the sample of establishment workers, as well as the skills required for current vacancies, and those anticipated for future recruitment.
Kind of data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of analysis
Establishment
Version
Version
V1: A cleaned and a harmonized version of the survey dataset, produced by the Economic Research Forum for dissemination.
Version date
2025-12
Version notes
All documentation available for the original survey provided by the Statistical Agency, and for the harmonized datasets produced by the Economic Research Forum, are published, along with a copy of all occupations and economic activities used during the harmonization process.
However, as far as the datasets are concerned, the Economic Research Forum produces and releases only the harmonized versions in both SPSS and STATA formats.
However, as far as the datasets are concerned, the Economic Research Forum produces and releases only the harmonized versions in both SPSS and STATA formats.
Scope
Notes
The survey covers all active establishments falling within the scope of the 2017-2018 Economic Census, across the public and private sectors (including private, cooperative, and non-governmental organizations), excluding diplomatic and international entities. An establishment may take the form of a factory, workshop, store, office, mine, farm, or any similar economic unit. It is defined as an economic unit that primarily or exclusively conducts a single type of economic activity at one physical location. An establishment may operate independently or as part of a larger enterprise. An enterprise, in turn, is a legal entity-or a group of legal entities-that may encompass multiple.
It is important to note that the Economic Census itself is a stratified sample based on economic activity, governorate, and establishment size (measured by number of employees). Establishments with 10 or more employees are fully enumerated (100 percent). Those with 5-9 employees are included on a half-sample basis (50 percent), while establishments with 1-4 employees are sampled at a small fraction (5 percent). The census also included a 10 percent sample of temporarily closed establishments. Additionally, all establishments engaged in rare activities-defined as activities with up to 30 establishments-were fully included at the economic activity level within each governorate.
It is important to note that the Economic Census itself is a stratified sample based on economic activity, governorate, and establishment size (measured by number of employees). Establishments with 10 or more employees are fully enumerated (100 percent). Those with 5-9 employees are included on a half-sample basis (50 percent), while establishments with 1-4 employees are sampled at a small fraction (5 percent). The census also included a 10 percent sample of temporarily closed establishments. Additionally, all establishments engaged in rare activities-defined as activities with up to 30 establishments-were fully included at the economic activity level within each governorate.
Topics
| Topic | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Enterprise main characteristics | ERF |
| Wages and working hours | ERF |
| Employees' characteristics | ERF |
| Job vacancies | ERF |
| Working skills | ERF |
Coverage
Geographic coverage
Covering a sample of urban and rural areas in all the governorates.
Universe
The survey covered all active establishments within the scope of the economic census of 2017-2018 with a few exceptions. (see attched documents)
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Central Agency For Public Mobilization & Statistics | CAPMAS |
Sampling
Sampling procedure
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS (CAPMAS)
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
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The sampling frame is constructed using explicit stratification by governorate and establishment size class. Stratification by economic activity is applied implicitly by sorting the list of establishments within each explicit stratum according to their 4-digit activity code, in order to avoid excessively large number of strata.
All public sector enterprises are included in the sample (100 percent). For enterprises operating multiple establishments ("branches"), up to five branches in addition to the headquarters (HQ) are selected. This approach ensures that the sampling unit reflects public sector establishments rather than enterprises, which may consist of several establishments carrying out different economic activities.
For the private sector, the sampling design is based on stratification by governorate and five establishment size classes defined by number of employees. Sampling rates vary by size class, with smaller establishments selected at lower rates and larger establishments at higher rates.
Employee characteristics are collected at the individual employee level on a sample basis, using the same approach for both public (HQ and branches) and private sector establishments. The design specifies the use of systematic sampling from an establishment's employee list sorted by occupation. In practice, however, the selection of sample employees was performed directly by the establishments.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS (CAPMAS)
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The sampling frame is constructed using explicit stratification by governorate and establishment size class. Stratification by economic activity is applied implicitly by sorting the list of establishments within each explicit stratum according to their 4-digit activity code, in order to avoid excessively large number of strata.
All public sector enterprises are included in the sample (100 percent). For enterprises operating multiple establishments ("branches"), up to five branches in addition to the headquarters (HQ) are selected. This approach ensures that the sampling unit reflects public sector establishments rather than enterprises, which may consist of several establishments carrying out different economic activities.
For the private sector, the sampling design is based on stratification by governorate and five establishment size classes defined by number of employees. Sampling rates vary by size class, with smaller establishments selected at lower rates and larger establishments at higher rates.
Employee characteristics are collected at the individual employee level on a sample basis, using the same approach for both public (HQ and branches) and private sector establishments. The design specifies the use of systematic sampling from an establishment's employee list sorted by occupation. In practice, however, the selection of sample employees was performed directly by the establishments.
Weighting
Sample weights are used to expand the survey results to represent population totals. The weight assigned to an establishment reflects the number of establishments in the population that it represents; likewise, the weight assigned to an employee reflects the number of employees in the population represented by that sampled employee.
Each sample weight generally consists of three components:
1. The design weight, which reflects the probability of selecting the unit under the sampling design;
2. A non-response adjustment, to account for units that were selected but did not respond; and
3. A calibration adjustment, to align the weighted results with internal consistency requirements or with external aggregate controls.
The procedures used to calculate establishment and employee weights in the survey are described separately for the public and private sectors.
Note: there are more details on the weights and sampling at the "The Employment, Wage and Working Hours - Annual Bulletin” document in the downloading tab.
Each sample weight generally consists of three components:
1. The design weight, which reflects the probability of selecting the unit under the sampling design;
2. A non-response adjustment, to account for units that were selected but did not respond; and
3. A calibration adjustment, to align the weighted results with internal consistency requirements or with external aggregate controls.
The procedures used to calculate establishment and employee weights in the survey are described separately for the public and private sectors.
Note: there are more details on the weights and sampling at the "The Employment, Wage and Working Hours - Annual Bulletin” document in the downloading tab.
Survey instrument
Questionnaires
The full survey questionnaire is structured into three parts. The first part gathers general data on the establishment, including its branch of economic activity and lots of information like whether it has a commercial or industrial register, and accounting books or not. The second part covers characteristics of employees-first at the establishment level, and then at the level of sampled employees-capturing information on occupation, wages, hours of work, skills, social security coverage provided by the employer, and access to paid annual or sick leave. The third part collects data on job vacancies, hirings, and separations.
Notes on methodology
Quality Control Procedures
The precision of survey results depends to a large extent on how the survey has been conducted. As such, it was crucial to exert much effort and to take necessary actions towards rigorous preparation for the present survey. The preparatory activities, set up the general framework of survey implementation such as:
1- Applying the recent international recommendations of different concepts and definitions.
2- Evaluating the quality of data in all different implementation stages to avoid or minimize errors to the lowest level possible through:
A. Implementing field editing after finishing data collection for establishment in governorates to avoid any errors in suitable time.
B. Re-interviewing a sample of establishments by Quality Control Department in some governorates and examining the differences with the original responses then take the necessary procedures.
The precision of survey results depends to a large extent on how the survey has been conducted. As such, it was crucial to exert much effort and to take necessary actions towards rigorous preparation for the present survey. The preparatory activities, set up the general framework of survey implementation such as:
1- Applying the recent international recommendations of different concepts and definitions.
2- Evaluating the quality of data in all different implementation stages to avoid or minimize errors to the lowest level possible through:
A. Implementing field editing after finishing data collection for establishment in governorates to avoid any errors in suitable time.
B. Re-interviewing a sample of establishments by Quality Control Department in some governorates and examining the differences with the original responses then take the necessary procedures.
Data collection
Mode of data collection
- Face-to-face [f2f]
Data Collectors
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Central Agency For Public Mobilization & Statistics | CAPMAS |
Notes on data collection
Field work
Since the first quarter of research (January – March2020), a complete transformation of data collection using the tablet has been made through designing a program that contains rules for filtering mistakes and sending inquiries as soon as possible and preparing a laboratory to receive and follow up data and return the inquiries that have errors to the field again to correct them again.
1- The field staff was selected from the most experienced persons from CAPMAS and from some young people out side CAPMAS
2- Central training program for supervisors was conducted at CAPMAS in Cairo and locally in governorates for interviewers and field editors.
3- Supervision program was implemented on collections data persons in all governorates to check the field work.
4- Data were collected by using personal interview method for household in dwelling and it had been obtained from the head of household or his wife or any eligible person in case of their absence.
5- Duties and responsibilities of all levels of field staff (interviewer, editor and supervisor) were defined to enable them perform their tasks accurately and timely.
Since the first quarter of research (January – March2020), a complete transformation of data collection using the tablet has been made through designing a program that contains rules for filtering mistakes and sending inquiries as soon as possible and preparing a laboratory to receive and follow up data and return the inquiries that have errors to the field again to correct them again.
1- The field staff was selected from the most experienced persons from CAPMAS and from some young people out side CAPMAS
2- Central training program for supervisors was conducted at CAPMAS in Cairo and locally in governorates for interviewers and field editors.
3- Supervision program was implemented on collections data persons in all governorates to check the field work.
4- Data were collected by using personal interview method for household in dwelling and it had been obtained from the head of household or his wife or any eligible person in case of their absence.
5- Duties and responsibilities of all levels of field staff (interviewer, editor and supervisor) were defined to enable them perform their tasks accurately and timely.
Data processing
Cleaning operations
Data Processing
1- Coding
Specialized staff is responsible for coding data of activity, occupation and geographical identification according to activity, occupation and geographical manual, thus the questionnaires will be valid for data entry.
2- Data entry and tabulations It included machine data entry, data validation and tabulation as well as preparing a final survey bulletin and output tables.
---> Raw Data
Office editing is one of the main stages of the survey. It started once the questionnaires were received from the field and accomplished by the selected work groups. It includes:
a-Editing of coverage and completeness
b-Editing of consistency
---> Harmonized Data
- The STATA package is used to clean and harmonize the datasets.
- The harmonization process starts with a cleaning process for all raw data files received from the Statistical Agency.
- All cleaned data files are then merged to produce one data file on the individual level containing all variables subject to harmonization.
- A country-specific program is generated for each dataset to generate/ compute/ recode/ rename/ format/ label harmonized variables.
- A post-harmonization cleaning process is then conducted on the data.
- Harmonized data is saved in SPSS and then converted to STATA, to be disseminated.
1- Coding
Specialized staff is responsible for coding data of activity, occupation and geographical identification according to activity, occupation and geographical manual, thus the questionnaires will be valid for data entry.
2- Data entry and tabulations It included machine data entry, data validation and tabulation as well as preparing a final survey bulletin and output tables.
---> Raw Data
Office editing is one of the main stages of the survey. It started once the questionnaires were received from the field and accomplished by the selected work groups. It includes:
a-Editing of coverage and completeness
b-Editing of consistency
---> Harmonized Data
- The STATA package is used to clean and harmonize the datasets.
- The harmonization process starts with a cleaning process for all raw data files received from the Statistical Agency.
- All cleaned data files are then merged to produce one data file on the individual level containing all variables subject to harmonization.
- A country-specific program is generated for each dataset to generate/ compute/ recode/ rename/ format/ label harmonized variables.
- A post-harmonization cleaning process is then conducted on the data.
- Harmonized data is saved in SPSS and then converted to STATA, to be disseminated.
Data Access
Access authority
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Research Forum | ERF | www.erf.org.eg | erfdataportal@erf.org.eg |
Confidentiality
| Is signing of a confidentiality declaration required? | Confidentiality declaration text |
|---|---|
| yes |
To access the micro data, researchers are required to register on the ERF website and comply with the data access agreement. The data will be used only for scholarly research, or educational purposes. Users are prohibited from using data acquired from the Economic Research Forum in the pursuit of any commercial or private ventures. |
Access conditions
Licensed datasets, accessible under conditions.
Citation requirement
The users should cite the Economic Research Forum and the Central Agency For Public Mobilization & Statistics as follows:
OAMDI, 2025. The Harmonized Employment, Wage and Working Hours (HEWW), http://www.erfdataportal.com/index.php/catalog. Version 1.0 of Licensed Data Files; HEWW 2023- Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Egypt: Economic Research Forum (ERF).
OAMDI, 2025. The Harmonized Employment, Wage and Working Hours (HEWW), http://www.erfdataportal.com/index.php/catalog. Version 1.0 of Licensed Data Files; HEWW 2023- Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Egypt: Economic Research Forum (ERF).
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The Economic Research Forum and the Central Agency For Public Mobilization & Statistics have granted the researcher access to relevant data following exhaustive efforts to protect the confidentiality of establishment data. The researcher is solely responsible for any analysis or conclusions drawn from available data.
Copyright
(c) 2025, Economic Research Forum , CAPMAS, Egypt
Contacts
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Research Forum (ERF) - 21 Al-Sad Al-Aaly St., Dokki, Giza, Egypt | ERF | erfdataportal@erf.org.eg | www.erf.org.eg |
Metadata production
Document ID
EGY_HEWW_2023_HD_V1
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Research Forum | ERF | Cleaning and harmonizing raw data received from the Statistical Agency |
Date of metadata production
2025-12
Metadata version
Version
Version 1