Egypt · Hiring guide

Hiring in Egypt: the complete guide

Employment contracts in Egypt must be executed in Arabic to be enforceable, social insurance runs roughly 19–26% on the employer depending on tier, and end-of-service gratuity accrues monthly. CareerBuddy shortlists three vetted Cairo candidates in four business days, or employs from $449 per employee per month.

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Key facts

Primary hub: Cairo (Alexandria secondary)
Senior software engineer median: $42,000 / year
Embedded / hardware premium: +5–10%
Social insurance (employer): ~19–26% by tier
End-of-service gratuity: Accrued monthly, paid on exit
Contract language: Arabic (English parallel column)
Probation: Up to 3 months
London daytime overlap: 5+ hours

Statutory figures verified 2026-08-25. Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP). Time zone: EET (UTC+2).

The problem

What makes hiring in Egypt hard

Egypt has the largest engineering pool in Africa by headcount and the most procedural entry requirements. An employment contract that isn't executed in Arabic is not enforceable against the employer; direct employers must register with the Ministry of Manpower; social insurance under Law 148/2019 runs on a tiered base whose insurable ceiling rises every January, so your per-head cost changes on the January payroll whether you planned for it or not. End-of-service gratuity accrues from day one and is payable on termination, which means an unfunded liability if you don't provision monthly.

The solution

How CareerBuddy handles it

CareerBuddy's Egyptian EOR is already registered with the Ministry of Manpower, so the client sidesteps that step entirely. Contracts are issued as Arabic and English parallel columns — enforceable locally, readable by your legal team. Social insurance is recalculated each January against the new insurable ceiling and the pass-through is shown on the invoice, and gratuity is accrued monthly rather than discovered at exit. Recruitment draws on Cairo's bilingual Arabic/English professional pool, which is uniquely deep in embedded, firmware, hardware and volume backend engineering — the one African market where hardware-adjacent programmes are practical.

Roles and salaries

What roles cost in Egypt

Annual gross base salary in USD, by seniority. Employer statutory costs sit on top — use the Egypt salary calculator for total cost of employment.

Annual gross base salary in USD by role family, Egypt
Role family	Mid-level	Senior	Lead
Software EngineeringAfrica's largest engineering pool by headcount; unusually deep in embedded, firmware and low-level backend work.	$18,000	$28,000	$40,000
Product & DesignBilingual product and design talent serving MENA-region and European products.	$14,500	$23,000	$34,000
Sales & MarketingMultilingual support and inside sales — Arabic, English and French on the same seat.	$12,500	$20,000	$30,000
Finance & Operations	$15,000	$22,500	$34,000
Executive / Leadership	$25,000	$38,000	$56,000

Pricing

Three ways to buy in Egypt

Recruitment (permanent hire)15% of first-year salaryYou have a local entity, or you're hiring through your own payroll, and want a vetted shortlist in four business days.See how it works

Employer of RecordFrom $449 / employee / monthYou want to employ someone compliantly without registering a local entity. Contract, payroll, tax and statutory contributions handled.See how it works

Outsourced / managed teamPer-seat monthly rate, from 3 seatsYou need a pod — support, engineering or back-office — run on CareerBuddy's payroll with a single monthly invoice.See how it works

Recruitment carries a 90-day replacement guarantee. No upfront retainer. Full pricing.

From brief to first payroll in Egypt

Day 0Signed brief
A 45-minute intake call sets the role scope, salary band, seniority and target start date for Egypt. You sign the brief; no upfront fee.
Day 4Shortlist of three
Three vetted candidates, each with an interview scorecard, salary expectation and notice period. Four business days is the standard delivery window across every market.
Week 2Interviews and offer
You run your own loop; CareerBuddy manages scheduling, feedback and the offer negotiation, including the total-cost-of-employment figure rather than base alone.
Week 3Contract and compliance
Employment contract issued under Egypt labour law, right-to-work checks completed, statutory registrations filed.
Week 4Payroll live
First payroll runs on schedule with all statutory deductions remitted. Onboarding to first payroll runs about 10 business days from a signed order form.

Where these numbers come from

Written contract in Arabic required; probation up to three months.

Source: Labour Law 12/2003, Article 33

Tiered social insurance contributions with an insurable ceiling revised annually.

Source: Social Insurance Law 148/2019

Income tax withheld and remitted under the personal income tax regime.

Source: Income Tax Law 91/2005

Direct employers must register with the Ministry of Manpower; an EOR that is already registered removes the step.

Source: Egyptian Ministry of Manpower

Controllers and processors are supervised by the Personal Data Protection Centre.

Source: Data Protection Law 151/2020

Hiring guides for the rest of Africa

🇳🇬Hiring in NigeriaLagos · senior engineering from $37,500 🇰🇪Hiring in KenyaNairobi · senior engineering from $34,000 🇬🇭Hiring in GhanaAccra · senior engineering from $30,000 🇿🇦Hiring in South AfricaCape Town · senior engineering from $45,000

Common questions about hiring in Egypt

Yes — a contract not executed in Arabic is not enforceable against the employer. CareerBuddy issues Arabic and English parallel-column contracts as standard so your legal team can read what the employee signed.

A statutory payment due on termination, with the accrual factor set by the Labour Law. It should be provisioned monthly; CareerBuddy accrues it on the EOR invoice rather than presenting it as a lump sum at exit.

Roughly 19–26% of the insurable base depending on tier, under Social Insurance Law 148/2019. The insurable ceiling rises each January, so the pass-through cost changes on the January payroll.

Yes. CareerBuddy's Egyptian Employer of Record starts from $449 per employee per month, is registered with the Ministry of Manpower, and handles Arabic contracts, income tax, social insurance and gratuity accrual.

Volume and hardware-adjacent engineering. Cairo is the largest engineering pool on the continent by headcount and the only African hub with real depth in embedded, firmware and driver-level work, alongside Arabic, English and French language coverage.

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Get three vetted Egypt candidates in four days

Tell us the role, the band and the start date. You'll get a shortlist of three with scorecards, salary expectations and notice periods — and a total-cost-of-employment figure, not just a base salary.