For most companies, increasing profits and decreasing costs are the dream outcome at the end of every quarter, which typically requires relying on top performers to work harder for longer. And that is likely to lead to burnout. In the Burnout Report 2025 survey, published by Mental Health UK, more than a third of respondents said they are “experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure or stress.” Meanwhile, 91% said they felt pressure or stress at some point in 2024. Meanwhile, employees feeling burned out aren’t taking enough vacation time. “When you’re working hard to achieve your career goals, taking…
Author: Tamer Hafez
Research firm Accenture, IBM, Amazon, Microsoft, courier service UPS, Google, Ikea, U.S. software company Salesforce, and language-learning app Duolingo share one thing: They all laid off hundreds or thousands of employees, saying artificial intelligence (AI) would now perform their jobs. “The fear of AI job replacement is very real, with many companies in 2025 openly admitting that the tech is eliminating jobs,” Isobel O’Sullivan, senior writer at Tech.co, a news and research platform, reported in October. For employees to retain their jobs and advance in this increasingly AI-dominated world, they need the right character traits to leverage AI power, handle…
In an era marked by unpredictable risks and rapid technological change, creativity and innovation, especially at work, are increasingly vital. A 2024 survey by Forbes found “approximately 73% … of employers say creative thinking is [the] most in-demand skill … if you want your career to thrive, or your organization to survive,” characterizing it as “an absolute necessity [for] an aspiring leader.” However, not many individuals are creative or innovative at work. According to research from the University of Pennsylvania published in July, the reason out-of-the-box thinking is less common than many believe is “creativity can feel mysterious or even…
Over the past five years, individuals and households have become increasingly aware they need more income to lead comfortable lives. “Gone are the days when a single 9-to-5 job guaranteed financial security, and you could stay employed until retirement,” noted Nael Chhaytli, a content marketing manager at Get Response, an email marketing software developer. That has made multiple income streams increasingly important. “The concept of passive … income refers to earning a regular income without actively participating in it,” said Saint Investment firm. “The importance of investing in passive income cannot be overstated. It’s a great way to invest upfront energy and resources to ensure you get paid for months or years…
For local real estate pundits, it’s hard not to see that homes have become more expensive. Aqar Sky, a real estate sales platform, estimated the price per square meter for residential units in 2025 has jumped 30% over 2024 in locations that haven’t changed much, like central Cairo, Sheikh Zayed and downtown New Cairo. Meanwhile, prices have nearly doubled in locations where development is accelerating, such as New Zayed and other suburbs of new cities. The Central Bank (CBE) noted that the housing price-to-income ratio has increased nearly 80% since 2022. In December, AUC’s Alternative Policy Solutions (APS), a research…
One of the government’s biggest priorities for the past five years has been reducing imports of engineered consumer products by attracting FDI to those sectors. In September, the Ministry of Industry and Transport earmarked 28 industrial sectors for increased localization. One of these sectors is automotive manufacturing, an industry that experienced growth in the early 2000s when high-end German brands (Mercedes-Benz and BMW); Asian carmakers from South Korea and Japan; and American brands Chevrolet (General Motors) and Jeep (Stellantis) opened factories in Egypt to meet domestic demand. However, local, regional and global political, economic and geopolitical uncertainties have hurt the…
Until a few years ago, electric vehicles (EVs) were positioned as the future of personal mobility, with hybrid cars using internal combustion engines (ICE) and electric motors and batteries (EV drivetrain) to smooth the transition. That is changing as several automakers take different paths, with some investing in green hydrogen while others still prioritize developing ICE-powered cars until a viable alternative emerges. Egypt can accommodate all. EV imports were legalized in 2018, with incentives to import them and build charging stations announced in 2019. Meanwhile, the government plans to produce clean hydrogen in the Suez Canal Free Economic Zone. Lastly,…
Today’s automotive industry operates in a rapidly changing world, requiring companies and governments to clearly identify technological, social, and geopolitical changes impacting the industry and markets. “The global automotive industry stands amid a period of profound uncertainty,” noted Andrew Fellows, head of automotive and mobility at Star Global. In a May report titled “Global Automotive Industry Outlook: An East Meets West Perspective,” Star Global outlines the latest manufacturing and consumer demand trends, as well as geopolitical influences. Emerging east According to the report, Asian countries’ emergence as major auto manufacturing destinations is “no accident. It is the result of ……
Understanding the motives, values, norms and perceptions of people from different cultures — coworkers, managers, customers or negotiation opponents — is crucial for building a successful career. However, this is seldom practiced. “Millions of people work in global settings while viewing everything from their own cultural perspectives and assuming that all differences, controversy and misunderstanding are rooted in personality,” Erin Meyer said in her book “The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures.” “Many … don’t educate themselves about cultural differences because they believe that if they focus on individual differences, that will be…
Around the world, governments, agriculture companies, and individual farmers are increasingly concerned about how much food is grown and produced. “The globe currently faces numerous food-related issues, ranging from a lack of biodiversity to excessive waste, and from ill health caused by excessive consumption to widespread food insecurity,” Ahmed Zainul Abideen, a professor at the Faculty of Industrial Management at the University Malaysia Pahang in Malaysia, noted in a research paper. Those factors are intensifying the global food security problem. “By 2050, food demand is anticipated to increase [between] 59% [and] 98%,” Abideen noted. “This will shape agricultural markets in…