About 2.267 million Egyptians out of a total workforce of 27.968 million were jobless in the first quarter Unemployment rate in 2018 was 9.9 percent CAIRO: Egypt’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent in the first quarter of 2019 from 10.6 percent in same period the previous year, state statistics agency CAPMAS said on Wednesday. The number of unemployed stood at 2.267 million out of a total workforce of 27.968 million, CAPMAS said. Unemployment was 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018 and 9.9 percent over the full year in 2018, according to the government.