- International Data Corporation draws on a decade of research to paint an encouraging picture of future employment in Egypt
- IT spending in Egypt will reach $1.17 billion and direct IT employment will have created 417,135 jobs by 2022.
- Microsoft ecosystem sells, services and deploys products which has supported over 202,250 workers in 2017- creating downstream revenues accounted $9.37 for every dollar that Microsoft generates.
05 March 2019; Cairo, Egypt – Microsoft’s technology ecosystem and the growing popularity of cloud services will create nearly 100,000 jobs in Egypt by the end of 2022, according to new research by the International Data Corporation (IDC). The study was conducted in other key markets of the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Turkey.
IDC’s white paper analyses the impact of ICT, cloud services, and the Microsoft ecosystem on the Egypt economy between 2017 and 2022, covering a decade of regional findings. The research shows that spending on public cloud services in Egypt is expected to rise nearly 3.5 times, growing from approximately $48.5 million in 2017 to $162.6 million in 2022. This will create nearly 69,570 new jobs and the Microsoft technology ecosystem will add 30,540 jobs for a total of 100,110 in net job creation.
“Technological advancement is not a new term for Egypt. The Country’s Vision 2030 sets a roadmap that will shape the future and incorporate economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.” said Khaled Abdel Kader, General Manager, Microsoft Egypt. “Ongoing investments around cloud technologies will support the country’s development plans which are fuelled by various digital transformation initiatives. Microsoft is proud of its record of job creation in Egypt. Acceleration of economic growth and innovation and the downstream revenue that comes from the Microsoft ecosystem, are natural outcomes from our efforts to empower every individual and organisation on the planet to achieve more.”
The IDC study highlights that government-led plans such as the Egyptian Government Cloud (EG-Cloud) strategy, along with private sector investments, will generate $2.36 billion in net new revenues from the cloud over the next half decade. IDC estimates IT spending in Egypt will reach $1.17 billion in 2022 and direct IT employment will have created 417,135 jobs. The study also reveals that the Microsoft ecosystem – the companies that sell, service, deploy, or otherwise work with Microsoft products – supported more than 202,250 workers in 2017, while creating downstream revenues, accounting for $9.37 for every $1 that Microsoft generates.
“As cloud continues to gain momentum in the region, countries will be able to accelerate their digital transformation and economic diversification agendas.” said Manish Ranjan, Program Manager – Software & Cloud, IDC Middle East, Turkey & Africa “Egypt has outlined several policies, programs and initiatives to accelerate its wider development plans. Cloud will further enable these innovative projects that revolve around artificial intelligence (AI), enterprise mobility, Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain to create demand for new skill types and expertise in the market. We will begin to see a shift in the job types that will be needed by organizations, with new roles coming in to play. These will range from AI and blockchain architects and data scientists to AI systems trainers.”
According to World Bank the high-tech sector has a job multiplier effect. For every 1 job in the sector, approximately 4.3 jobs are created across all income groups and occupations. Tawar w 3’ayar’, an initiative by Microsoft Egypt, is making significant contribution to bridge the skill gap in the labour market by empowering Egyptian youth for fourth industrial revolution jobs through digital competencies and building digital science capabilities. To date, Tawar w 3’ayar’ has provided employment opportunities to over 1.4 million youth by developing 500 centres in 27 different governorates. The team is diligently working with authorities to create relevant job opportunities. The program has successfully promoted 117,621 job opportunities whilst matching more than 10,000 young individuals to over 1500 employers.
“Bridging the skills gap is something very close to the heart of our mission. We are actively creating awareness of this with our partners around the world. The Microsoft Cloud Society – our mass readiness program is poised for IT Professionals, Developers and Data Professionals to learn Cloud technologies, best practices and advance their careers. Our Middle east datacentres expected to go live this year, will also play a pivotal role in this effort of continuing to equip people with new skills to stay competitive, while creating new jobs,” added Khaled Abdel Kader.
