In today’s world, allocating several hours, let alone days, to focus on a single difficult, critical task is increasingly challenging. Instant notifications from digital apps and social media fight a ferocious war for users’ attention. Meanwhile, bosses are demanding immediate responses to their communications. That reality promotes “shallow work” over “deep work.” In his book “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World,” Cal Newport defines the latter as “professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” “Shallow…
Author: Tamer Hafez
The harsh reality in low- and middle-income nations is that their top minds and talent often realize that working in wealthy nations can lead to higher living standards, better amenities and public infrastructure, and resources to build more fulfilling careers. Bringing them back or retaining them is difficult. “Reversing brain drain is more than a policy challenge,” noted a January 2025 paper from Beyond Emerging Europe, a digital platform promoting talent development. “It is a broader project of national renewal, requiring trust in domestic institutions and belief in a shared future.” For low- and middle-income nations, brain drain means more remittances. Remittances were Egypt’s largest…
Egyptian household and individual consumption as a percentage of nominal GDP has remained consistently high despite global and regional health (COVID-19) and geopolitical volatility in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, and Iran. Data curator CIEC Data estimated private consumption accounted for 94.1% of nominal GDP in 2025, up from 92.5% in 2024. That is the second-highest percentage on record, after August 2024, when consumption reached 97.1% of nominal GDP. Furthermore, consumption since the second half of 2024 has been higher than historical figures, which had not exceeded 87% since 2015, according to CIEC Data. This jump in consumption is due to…
The world has grown increasingly concerned about artificial intelligence (AI) taking over human jobs since ChatGPT launched in 2022. That is because it can understand natural human language (written and spoken), search the internet for data, generate narratives from queries, solve mathematical problems, and make forecasts. Those fears are partially founded. “While 92 million jobs might be eliminated by 2030, 170 million new roles will be created because of AI,” the World Economic Forum (WEF) said in February. Additionally, many existing professions will change. “Over the next two to three years, 50% to 55% of jobs … will be reshaped…
Remittances are a crucial stabilizing factor for the Egyptian economy, accounting for $41.5 billion last year alone. That is a massive amount, given that tourism contributed $18 billion, FDI $11 billion, and the Suez Canal $3.6 billion. Remittances are also growing faster than other revenue sources. According to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the first nine months of fiscal year 2025/2026 saw transfers jump 32% over the previous year. These inflows are less affected by geopolitical and geoeconomic volatility than other sources. “They act as a shock absorber to Egypt’s economy,” noted Nour Adbellhamin, a reporter for state-owned Ahram…
Losing high-level talent has become a serious concern for Egypt, so much so that House of Representatives members in April tasked the Defense and National Security Committee to “discuss the issue of brain drain and its implications for Egyptian national security, in light of the growing challenge posed by the migration of skilled scientific and professional talents abroad,” according to local media. The committee found “significant migration of … young scientists, researchers, doctors and engineers amid the greater job opportunities and financial and research resources offered by [other] countries,” according to state-owned Ahram English. However, TheGlobalEconomy.com, a research portal, paints…
The top economic priority for the United States under President Donald Trump has been to reduce imports, increase exports, and create jobs. “By prioritizing American workers, manufacturers, and energy producers, the administration is strengthening the nation’s economic foundation and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains,” said a White House blurb. “These policies are driving sustained growth, expanding opportunity, and ensuring the American economy remains strong, competitive, and resilient for years to come.” Yet not all of these new directives are working as intended. Domestically, Trump’s agricultural plans are conflicting: give farmers tax and customs exemptions, but then limit their ability to secure less expensive…
For graduates with little to no work experience, no sponsors, and no entrepreneurial tendencies, securing a first job often depends on the social skills and technical know-how developed during their school and university years. That can be a problem, as there is often a significant gap between what students learn and what companies need. “Egypt’s youth unemployment [is] high at about 18% to 19%,” Nora Abou El Seoud, CEO of the Education for Employment Foundation, said at AmCham Egypt’s education investment conference in May. Reforming Egypt’s education system “is not just about addressing a future challenge; it is a current reality…
UNESCO is adamant that “education is a fundamental human right,” explaining that it “empowers individuals, strengthens communities and fosters inclusive societies.” It “enables individuals to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to participate fully in society.” This translates into noticeable improvements in living standards and quality of life, especially for those born in underprivileged societies. “Education is one of the most powerful tools for lifting excluded children and adults out of poverty,” noted UNESCO. It also is “a cornerstone of peace, justice and resilience in the face of today’s most pressing global challenges.” In “lower-middle-income” countries like Egypt (per…
Digital transformation, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), and the growing reliance of individuals and corporations on cloud-based services are defining this era of human history. “Gen Z [born from 1995 to 2010] are true digital natives,” McKinsey said in a note. “From earliest youth, they have been exposed to the internet, to social networks, and to mobile systems.” Coping with this global transformation requires more and increasingly sophisticated physical facilities to store and process data for reuse in other applications. “Data centers are becoming the backbone of the digital economy, supporting everything from AI workloads to real-time analytics…