Manama: Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the top Arab countries where Egyptians have been granted permits to work, statistics indicate.
According to the 2011 report on official labour permits approved by the Egyptian interior ministry, 622,000 Egyptians had work permits in Saudi Arabia, representing 57 per cent of the total figure. In Kuwait, 172,000 Egyptians were given licences to work.
In Europe, Italy topped the list as a host country with 25,000 licensed Egyptians , followed by Greece with 3,000.
According to the annual report, 1,129,000 Egyptians in 2011 had official permits to work abroad. In 2010, the figure was 1,131,000, Kuwaiti daily Al Seyassah reported on Wednesday.
Egypt has been the most significant exporter of labour in the Arab world, with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as the main importer.
