Planning Minister, LinkedIn discuss future job market needs

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Rostom emphasized on Friday, October 9, 2026, the necessity to continually enhance Egypt's skills development system in order to equip the national workforce for future jobs amidst rapid global economic transformations. He pointed out that the increasing utilization of artificial intelligence and digital technologies is generating novel job opportunities while simultaneously raising the demand for specialized expertise.

Rostom conveyed these sentiments during a meeting with Firas Abu Hamza, LinkedIn's head of government affairs for the Middle East and North Africa, to explore avenues for enhancing cooperation in anticipating labor market requirements and leveraging big data to pinpoint the most sought-after skills. The dialogue centered on harmonizing Egypt's human capital development strategies with shifting global economic and technological trajectories.

Rostom underscored the significance of focusing training and skills development initiatives on economic domains with the highest potential for generating quality, sustainable employment. "This would assist in bridging the chasm between job seekers' capabilities and employers' genuine demands, fortify professional competencies, and heighten the international competitiveness of Egyptian talent," he remarked.

The deliberations also tackled methods to integrate LinkedIn's databases and cutting-edge analytics with Egypt's national data and statistics to create a comprehensive skills gap analysis and identify the most demanded specializations. This would furnish policymakers with a potent instrument to guide workforce planning. For his part, Abu Hamza stated that Egypt represents a significant market for LinkedIn, hosting approximately 14 million users, comprising professionals, young individuals, and businesses.

He affirmed the company's readiness to employ its analytical prowess to aid the ministry in comprehending employment trends and pinpointing priority sectors, thereby facilitating the creation of a versatile labor market poised to respond to forthcoming challenges and prospects.