Occupational Activities
The Greek populations of the Eastern Mediterranean developed a diverse economic activity from the early 19th century to the early 20th in the Ottoman Empire and the mid-century in Egypt. In the big commercial centers, Alexandria, Cairo, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) and Smyrna (present-day Izmir) the Greeks were present in a broad range of professions from exports to manufacturing and administrative and managerial jobs to unskilled worker, with a strong presence in the service sector and retail trade. In the hinterland of Asia Minor (Anatolia) the Greeks were involved in agricultural activities.
The economic elite made up a small percentage of the population and owned banks, export companies and factories. Banking and export activities were focused on agricultural goods, cotton in Egypt and olive oil, tobacco leaves, currants and figs in Asia Minor. In Egypt their factories most commonly processed cotton derivatives (Choremi, Benachi Cie, The Kafr al-Zayyat Company, Cozzika brothers etc.) and the manufacture of tobacco products such as the (Kyriazi, Papatheologou etc.).
In Asia Minor the Greek-owned factories processed agricultural and animal based goods, flour and hides. In a part of the Arabic-speaking world, the name “Greek” became associated with that of “grocer”, since Greeks controlled a significant part of this retail activity, even in the most remote places.
At the same time, skilled and unskilled workers were present in Greek enterprises, in major infrastructure projects such as the construction of railroads and the Suez Canal. Although the work was mainly for men, from the early decades of the 20th century we can observe the gradual entry of women into the labor market, for example in jobs that did not require muscular strength in factories, or as office workers, teachers or nurses. Vocational orientation was linked to the educational process, since secondary education was responsible for the development of vocational competences in a very competitive labor market.