CAIRO, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's unemployment rate fell to 10.6 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from 11.3 percent in the same period in 2017, the country's statistics authority reported on Tuesday.

According to a report by Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the number of jobless people stood at 3.094 million, representing 10.6 percent of the total workforce.

The number of employed people rose to 26.092 million, the report added.

Earlier reports said that Egypt's unemployment rate fell to 11.8 percent in 2017, from 12.5 percent in 2016.

Egypt has been facing economic recession over the past few years due to political turmoil and relevant security challenges, which led to declining tourism and foreign investments amid growing budget deficit, inflation rate and foreign and domestic debts.

To face economic challenges, Egypt started in late 2016 a three-year reform program including subsidy cuts, tax hikes and full floatation of the local currency.

Egypt's economic reform program is encouraged by a loan of 12 billion U.S. dollars from the International Monetary Fund, half of which has already been delivered to the most populous Arab and North African country.