Egypt’s unemployment rate eased 0.10 percentage points to 12.7% in 4Q2015 from the previous quarter, state statistics body CAPMAS said in a statement. The jobless rate amongst the age group of 15 to 64 year-olds registered at 12.8%, CAPMAS said. The total labour force increased 2.4% Y-o-Y to 28.3 million people. Unemployment rate for women reached 25.8%, while for males the unemployment rate reached 8.9%, showing limited changes from 3Q2015 levels. The total number of unemployed increased by 22,000 Q-o-Q during the quarter, representing the second consecutive quarter of an increase in the number of unemployed (a total of 102,000 in 2H2015). The shifting trends in employment reflect, in our view, slowing economic growth witnessed across 2015, as foreign exchange shortages dent broader economic activity. We see risks for rising unemployment in the near term, given the slowdown in the tourism sector on the back of the travel bans from a number of European countries, as well as persistence of foreign exchange shortages. (ahramonline, Mohamed Abu Basha)