DECENT WORK AND INCLUSIVE EMPLOYMENT
Challenges
and Policy Responses
Originally published: 2026
Data and Evidence Update: September 2026
ATEP MED – Arab Digital Center for
Media & Development
Prepared and published by: Mohamed Chaieb Barhoumi
Introduction:
Employment Is More Than Having a Job
Employment is one of the most
important foundations of social and economic development.
For individuals and households,
decent work provides income, economic security, dignity and the opportunity to
participate fully in society.
For communities, employment supports
local economies, reduces vulnerability and strengthens social cohesion.
For governments, employment is
closely connected to economic growth, social protection, poverty reduction and
human development.
Yet having a job does not
automatically mean having decent work.
A person may be employed and still
experience:
- low wages;
- insecure employment;
- informal work;
- limited social protection;
- unsafe working conditions;
- discrimination;
- unstable working hours;
- lack of career development;
- limited access to training;
- or insufficient income to maintain an adequate standard
of living.
This distinction is fundamental.
The objective should not simply be
more jobs. It should be more productive, inclusive, secure and decent
employment.
1. The Employment Challenge in Tunisia
Tunisia's labour-market indicators
illustrate the scale and complexity of the challenge.
According to the National Institute
of Statistics, the unemployment rate reached 14.9% in the second quarter of
2026.
The number of unemployed people
stood at approximately 622,400, compared with 641,700 in the first
quarter of 2026.
Although the decline in the number
of unemployed people represents an improvement, the overall rate remains high
and conceals major inequalities between population groups.
The unemployment rate in the second
quarter of 2026 was:
- 11.8% for men
- 21.6% for women
The gender gap is therefore
substantial.
This demonstrates that employment
policies cannot be designed around the national unemployment rate alone.
They must examine who is
unemployed, where they live, what skills they possess, how long they have been
unemployed and what barriers prevent them from entering the labour market.
2. Youth Unemployment: A Structural Challenge
Young people face particularly
difficult transitions from education to employment.
The challenge is not simply that
young people need jobs.
Many face a combination of:
- limited work experience;
- skills mismatches;
- insufficient career guidance;
- weak access to professional networks;
- geographic barriers;
- lack of finance for entrepreneurship;
- temporary and informal employment;
- and limited opportunities in local labour markets.
The latest INS data show that youth
unemployment among people aged 15–24 reached 38.4% in the fourth quarter of
2025.
The rate was 37.0% for young men
and 41.3% for young women.
The problem therefore affects young
women particularly strongly.
The broader challenge is also
visible through the NEET indicator.
The International Labour
Organization reports that 29.4% of young people aged 15–29 in Tunisia were
not in employment, education or training in 2024.
This indicator is important because
it captures a group that may otherwise disappear from conventional unemployment
statistics.
A young person who is not actively
looking for work may not be classified as unemployed, yet may still be
disconnected from education and the labour market.
3. Women and the Labour Market
Gender inequality remains one of the
most important dimensions of Tunisia's employment challenge.
The INS reported that women
represented only 31.1% of the active population in the fourth quarter of
2025, compared with 68.9% for men.
Among employed people, women
represented approximately 29%, compared with 71% for men.
The unemployment gap is also
significant.
In the fourth quarter of 2025:
- overall unemployment: 15.2%
- male unemployment: 12.6%
- female unemployment: 20.8%
Among higher-education graduates,
unemployment reached 22.5%, but the gender difference was particularly
striking:
- men: 11.7%
- women: 30.5%
The second-quarter 2026 INS data
show that the graduate unemployment problem became even more pronounced, reaching
26.6% overall and 35.6% among women graduates.
These figures demonstrate that
education alone does not guarantee equal access to employment.
The policy question is therefore not
only:
How can young people acquire skills?
It is also:
How can economies create employment
opportunities that make effective use of those skills?
4. Education, Skills and Labour-Market Mismatch
Education is an important foundation
for employment, but the relationship between education and employment is not
automatic.
High unemployment among university
graduates can indicate a mismatch between:
- education and labour-market demand;
- academic qualifications and practical skills;
- training programmes and emerging economic sectors;
- geographical distribution of skills and employment opportunities.
A serious employment policy
therefore needs stronger links between:
Education → Skills → Employers →
Work Experience → Employment
Vocational education,
apprenticeships, internships, professional training and continuing education
can help strengthen these connections.
But training programmes should also
be based on evidence.
If a local economy has strong
agricultural, tourism, digital, industrial or environmental potential, training
should reflect actual or emerging demand.
Training people for occupations that
have few employment opportunities will not solve unemployment.
5. Informal Employment and Job Security
Another important dimension of
decent work is the quality and security of employment.
Informal workers may lack:
- formal contracts;
- social insurance;
- pension rights;
- unemployment protection;
- occupational safety;
- paid leave;
- stable income;
- legal protection.
Informality can therefore increase
vulnerability even when a person is technically employed.
This is particularly important for:
- seasonal agricultural workers;
- domestic workers;
- small traders;
- self-employed workers;
- casual workers;
- temporary workers;
- workers in micro-enterprises.
Employment policy should therefore
measure not only the number of jobs created but also their quality.
A job should be assessed according
to several dimensions:
Income + Security + Rights +
Protection + Working Conditions + Opportunity
6. Employment by Economic Sector
The structure of employment also
matters.
According to Tunisia's INS, in the
fourth quarter of 2025:
- 53.3%
of employed people worked in services;
- 18.9%
in manufacturing industries;
- 12.9%
in non-manufacturing industries;
- 14.8%
in agriculture and fishing.
This distribution shows the
importance of services to Tunisia's labour market while also confirming the
continued importance of agriculture.
Employment policies should therefore
be adapted to the structure of the economy.
Different sectors require different
approaches.
Services may require digital skills,
communication, professional and technical capabilities.
Manufacturing may require industrial
skills and productivity improvements.
Agriculture may require investment
in value chains, irrigation, climate resilience, processing and market access.
7. Regional Inequality and Employment
National employment indicators can
hide major territorial differences.
A young person living in a major
urban centre may have access to:
- universities;
- companies;
- training institutions;
- transportation;
- digital services;
- professional networks;
- financial institutions.
A young person in a remote rural
locality may face very different conditions.
Geographic isolation can increase
the cost of accessing:
- education;
- employment;
- markets;
- public services;
- financial services;
- professional training.
This means that employment policy should
include a strong territorial dimension.
Local employment strategies should
identify:
- major economic sectors;
- available skills;
- unemployed groups;
- local businesses;
- infrastructure;
- transportation;
- training institutions;
- market opportunities;
- investment potential.
8. Rural Employment and Local Economies
Rural employment deserves particular
attention.
Agriculture remains an important
source of employment, especially outside major urban centres.
But rural workers can face:
- seasonal employment;
- low productivity;
- climate risks;
- limited access to finance;
- weak market access;
- inadequate transport;
- limited processing facilities;
- limited social protection.
Rural employment policies should
therefore move beyond the simple objective of preserving existing jobs.
They should support local
economic diversification.
This may include:
- agricultural processing;
- local value chains;
- cooperatives;
- rural tourism;
- renewable energy;
- digital services;
- handicrafts;
- small enterprises;
- logistics;
- environmentally sustainable activities.
The objective is to create an
ecosystem in which rural communities can generate more stable and diversified
livelihoods.
9. Decent Work and Social Protection
Employment cannot be separated from
social protection.
Workers need protection against:
- illness;
- workplace accidents;
- unemployment;
- disability;
- old age;
- loss of income;
- family-related risks.
Social protection can also
strengthen economic resilience.
When households have no protection
against economic shocks, a temporary loss of income can quickly become a
long-term poverty problem.
Decent employment policies should
therefore connect labour-market measures with social-protection systems.
The broader policy framework should
include:
Employment + Social Protection +
Skills + Labour Rights + Economic Inclusion
10. Measuring Decent Work
Employment policies require
measurable indicators.
A useful monitoring framework can
include:
Labour-market
indicators
- unemployment rate;
- employment rate;
- labour-force participation;
- youth unemployment;
- female unemployment;
- graduate unemployment.
Job-quality
indicators
- formal employment;
- informal employment;
- wages;
- working hours;
- occupational safety;
- employment stability;
- access to social protection.
Inclusion
indicators
- women in employment;
- youth employment;
- employment of persons with disabilities;
- regional employment gaps;
- rural employment;
- vulnerable workers.
Skills
indicators
- participation in vocational training;
- apprenticeships;
- professional certification;
- transition from education to employment;
- employer demand for specific skills.
Without measurable indicators,
employment strategies risk becoming statements of intention rather than
evidence-based policies.
11. From Employment Statistics to Policy Responses
Statistics should lead to policy
questions.
If youth unemployment is extremely
high, policymakers should ask:
Why?
If female unemployment is
significantly higher than male unemployment, they should ask:
Which barriers are preventing women
from entering or remaining in employment?
If graduate unemployment is high,
they should ask:
Where is the mismatch between
education and labour-market demand?
If rural employment is unstable,
they should ask:
Which local economic sectors can
generate more sustainable livelihoods?
This is the difference between
simply reporting unemployment and conducting evidence-based employment
analysis.
12. Policy Response 1: Strengthen School-to-Work
Transitions
Young people need pathways from
education into employment.
Policies can strengthen:
- career guidance;
- apprenticeships;
- internships;
- vocational training;
- employer partnerships;
- professional mentoring;
- digital skills;
- entrepreneurship training.
The objective should be to reduce
the distance between education and the first job.
13. Policy Response 2: Support Women’s Economic
Participation
Women face multiple barriers to
employment.
Policies should consider:
- childcare;
- safe transportation;
- flexible work;
- equal pay;
- protection against discrimination;
- access to finance;
- entrepreneurship;
- professional training;
- digital work opportunities;
- support for rural women.
The objective should not simply be
increasing women's employment statistics.
It should be creating conditions in
which women can access productive, secure and sustainable employment.
14. Policy Response 3: Support Local Economic
Development
Employment policy should connect
with local development.
Local authorities and development
organizations can map:
- economic resources;
- unemployed groups;
- skills;
- local enterprises;
- investment opportunities;
- infrastructure gaps;
- market opportunities.
This can produce place-based
employment strategies rather than applying the same solution everywhere.
15. Policy Response 4: Expand Digital and Remote Work
Opportunities
Digital transformation has created
new possibilities for employment.
Remote work can potentially reduce
some geographic barriers, particularly for workers who have:
- digital skills;
- language skills;
- professional expertise;
- internet access;
- reliable digital infrastructure.
Potential areas include:
- digital journalism;
- translation;
- content writing;
- online education;
- research;
- data services;
- communications;
- digital marketing;
- software and technology services.
However, remote work should not be
treated as a substitute for broader labour-market reform.
It requires digital inclusion,
appropriate skills, reliable connectivity and access to international or
national markets.
16. Policy Response 5: Improve Labour-Market Data
Good employment policy depends on
good data.
Labour-market statistics should be:
- regular;
- transparent;
- disaggregated;
- comparable;
- geographically detailed;
- gender-sensitive;
- age-sensitive.
Data should help answer questions
such as:
- Where are jobs being created?
- Which sectors are expanding?
- Which groups remain excluded?
- What skills are employers demanding?
- Which regions have the highest unemployment?
- How many young people are NEET?
- How widespread is informal employment?
- Which interventions actually improve employment
outcomes?
Data should therefore be treated as
a policy infrastructure.
17. From Projects to Employment Ecosystems
Short-term employment projects can
help individuals, but sustainable employment requires stronger economic
ecosystems.
A local employment ecosystem may
include:
Education → Skills → Finance →
Enterprise → Markets → Infrastructure → Social Protection → Employment
If one component is missing,
employment outcomes may remain weak.
For example, training unemployed
young people without connecting them to employers may produce certificates
without jobs.
Providing finance without market
access may create businesses that cannot survive.
Building infrastructure without
supporting local enterprises may create assets without sufficient economic
activity.
Employment policy must therefore
consider the entire system.
18. Evidence-Based Employment Policy
A stronger employment strategy
follows a cycle:
Measure → Understand → Prioritize →
Design → Implement → Monitor → Evaluate → Adapt
Measure
Collect reliable labour-market data.
Understand
Identify the causes behind
unemployment and exclusion.
Prioritize
Determine which groups and regions
require the greatest attention.
Design
Develop interventions based on
evidence.
Implement
Deliver services, training,
investment and employment support.
Monitor
Track outputs and outcomes.
Evaluate
Determine whether interventions
actually worked.
Adapt
Modify policies according to
evidence.
This cycle transforms employment
policy from a collection of programmes into a learning system.
19. Key Employment Data — Tunisia
Indicator
Latest
figure
Period
Source
Overall unemployment
14.9%
Q2 2026
INS
Unemployed people
622,400
Q2 2026
INS
Male unemployment
11.8%
Q2 2026
INS
Female unemployment
21.6%
Q2 2026
INS
Graduate unemployment
26.6%
Q2 2026
INS
Male graduate unemployment
14.2%
Q2 2026
INS
Female graduate unemployment
35.6%
Q2 2026
INS
Youth unemployment, 15–24
38.4%
Q4 2025
INS
Young men, 15–24
37.0%
Q4 2025
INS
Young women, 15–24
41.3%
Q4 2025
INS
Youth NEET, 15–29
29.4%
2024
ILO
Employment in services
53.3%
Q4 2025
INS
Employment in manufacturing
18.9%
Q4 2025
INS
Employment in agriculture &
fishing
14.8%
Q4 2025
INS
Conclusion
Decent work is not simply a question
of reducing unemployment.
It is a question of creating an
economy in which people can find productive employment, earn adequate incomes,
develop their skills, enjoy labour rights and obtain protection against
economic and social risks.
Tunisia's labour-market data
demonstrates the scale of the challenge.
An overall unemployment rate of 14.9%
in the second quarter of 2026 remains significant.
But the national average tells only
part of the story.
Female unemployment reached 21.6%,
compared with 11.8% for men.
Graduate unemployment reached 26.6%,
rising to 35.6% among women graduates.
Youth unemployment had reached 38.4%
among people aged 15–24 at the end of 2025.
And 29.4% of young people aged
15–29 were NEET in 2024, according to the ILO.
These figures demonstrate that
employment exclusion is not a single problem.
It affects young people, women,
graduates and vulnerable communities in different ways.
The policy response must therefore
be equally differentiated.
Employment strategies should
combine:
Skills + Enterprise + Investment +
Labour Rights + Social Protection + Local Development + Digital Inclusion +
Reliable Data
The ultimate objective is not simply
to increase the number of people counted as employed.
It is to build labour markets that
are productive, inclusive, resilient and fair.
Decent work is both an economic
objective and a social development objective.
And effective employment policy
begins when statistics are transformed into understanding, and understanding is
transformed into action.
Sources
and Data
Tunisia National Institute of
Statistics (INS)
Employment and unemployment indicators, quarterly labour-market statistics.
International Labour Organization
(ILO)
Youth NEET and labour-market analysis for Tunisia.
ATEP MED – Arab Digital Center for
Media & Development
Research, development communication and evidence-based reporting.
Prepared and published by: Mohamed
Chaieb Barhoumi
Challenges
and Policy Responses
Originally published: 2026
Data and Evidence Update: September 2026
ATEP MED – Arab Digital Center for
Media & Development
Prepared and published by: Mohamed Chaieb Barhoumi
Introduction:
Employment Is More Than Having a Job
Employment is one of the most
important foundations of social and economic development.
For individuals and households,
decent work provides income, economic security, dignity and the opportunity to
participate fully in society.
For communities, employment supports
local economies, reduces vulnerability and strengthens social cohesion.
For governments, employment is
closely connected to economic growth, social protection, poverty reduction and
human development.
Yet having a job does not
automatically mean having decent work.
A person may be employed and still
experience:
- low wages;
- insecure employment;
- informal work;
- limited social protection;
- unsafe working conditions;
- discrimination;
- unstable working hours;
- lack of career development;
- limited access to training;
- or insufficient income to maintain an adequate standard
of living.
This distinction is fundamental.
The objective should not simply be
more jobs. It should be more productive, inclusive, secure and decent
employment.
1. The Employment Challenge in Tunisia
Tunisia's labour-market indicators
illustrate the scale and complexity of the challenge.
According to the National Institute
of Statistics, the unemployment rate reached 14.9% in the second quarter of
2026.
The number of unemployed people
stood at approximately 622,400, compared with 641,700 in the first
quarter of 2026.
Although the decline in the number
of unemployed people represents an improvement, the overall rate remains high
and conceals major inequalities between population groups.
The unemployment rate in the second
quarter of 2026 was:
- 11.8% for men
- 21.6% for women
The gender gap is therefore
substantial.
This demonstrates that employment
policies cannot be designed around the national unemployment rate alone.
They must examine who is
unemployed, where they live, what skills they possess, how long they have been
unemployed and what barriers prevent them from entering the labour market.
2. Youth Unemployment: A Structural Challenge
Young people face particularly
difficult transitions from education to employment.
The challenge is not simply that
young people need jobs.
Many face a combination of:
- limited work experience;
- skills mismatches;
- insufficient career guidance;
- weak access to professional networks;
- geographic barriers;
- lack of finance for entrepreneurship;
- temporary and informal employment;
- and limited opportunities in local labour markets.
The latest INS data show that youth
unemployment among people aged 15–24 reached 38.4% in the fourth quarter of
2025.
The rate was 37.0% for young men
and 41.3% for young women.
The problem therefore affects young
women particularly strongly.
The broader challenge is also
visible through the NEET indicator.
The International Labour
Organization reports that 29.4% of young people aged 15–29 in Tunisia were
not in employment, education or training in 2024.
This indicator is important because
it captures a group that may otherwise disappear from conventional unemployment
statistics.
A young person who is not actively
looking for work may not be classified as unemployed, yet may still be
disconnected from education and the labour market.
3. Women and the Labour Market
Gender inequality remains one of the
most important dimensions of Tunisia's employment challenge.
The INS reported that women
represented only 31.1% of the active population in the fourth quarter of
2025, compared with 68.9% for men.
Among employed people, women
represented approximately 29%, compared with 71% for men.
The unemployment gap is also
significant.
In the fourth quarter of 2025:
- overall unemployment: 15.2%
- male unemployment: 12.6%
- female unemployment: 20.8%
Among higher-education graduates,
unemployment reached 22.5%, but the gender difference was particularly
striking:
- men: 11.7%
- women: 30.5%
The second-quarter 2026 INS data
show that the graduate unemployment problem became even more pronounced, reaching
26.6% overall and 35.6% among women graduates.
These figures demonstrate that
education alone does not guarantee equal access to employment.
The policy question is therefore not
only:
How can young people acquire skills?
It is also:
How can economies create employment
opportunities that make effective use of those skills?
4. Education, Skills and Labour-Market Mismatch
Education is an important foundation
for employment, but the relationship between education and employment is not
automatic.
High unemployment among university
graduates can indicate a mismatch between:
- education and labour-market demand;
- academic qualifications and practical skills;
- training programmes and emerging economic sectors;
- geographical distribution of skills and employment opportunities.
A serious employment policy
therefore needs stronger links between:
Education → Skills → Employers →
Work Experience → Employment
Vocational education,
apprenticeships, internships, professional training and continuing education
can help strengthen these connections.
But training programmes should also
be based on evidence.
If a local economy has strong
agricultural, tourism, digital, industrial or environmental potential, training
should reflect actual or emerging demand.
Training people for occupations that
have few employment opportunities will not solve unemployment.
5. Informal Employment and Job Security
Another important dimension of
decent work is the quality and security of employment.
Informal workers may lack:
- formal contracts;
- social insurance;
- pension rights;
- unemployment protection;
- occupational safety;
- paid leave;
- stable income;
- legal protection.
Informality can therefore increase
vulnerability even when a person is technically employed.
This is particularly important for:
- seasonal agricultural workers;
- domestic workers;
- small traders;
- self-employed workers;
- casual workers;
- temporary workers;
- workers in micro-enterprises.
Employment policy should therefore
measure not only the number of jobs created but also their quality.
A job should be assessed according
to several dimensions:
Income + Security + Rights +
Protection + Working Conditions + Opportunity
6. Employment by Economic Sector
The structure of employment also
matters.
According to Tunisia's INS, in the
fourth quarter of 2025:
- 53.3%
of employed people worked in services;
- 18.9%
in manufacturing industries;
- 12.9%
in non-manufacturing industries;
- 14.8%
in agriculture and fishing.
This distribution shows the
importance of services to Tunisia's labour market while also confirming the
continued importance of agriculture.
Employment policies should therefore
be adapted to the structure of the economy.
Different sectors require different
approaches.
Services may require digital skills,
communication, professional and technical capabilities.
Manufacturing may require industrial
skills and productivity improvements.
Agriculture may require investment
in value chains, irrigation, climate resilience, processing and market access.
7. Regional Inequality and Employment
National employment indicators can
hide major territorial differences.
A young person living in a major
urban centre may have access to:
- universities;
- companies;
- training institutions;
- transportation;
- digital services;
- professional networks;
- financial institutions.
A young person in a remote rural
locality may face very different conditions.
Geographic isolation can increase
the cost of accessing:
- education;
- employment;
- markets;
- public services;
- financial services;
- professional training.
This means that employment policy should
include a strong territorial dimension.
Local employment strategies should
identify:
- major economic sectors;
- available skills;
- unemployed groups;
- local businesses;
- infrastructure;
- transportation;
- training institutions;
- market opportunities;
- investment potential.
8. Rural Employment and Local Economies
Rural employment deserves particular
attention.
Agriculture remains an important
source of employment, especially outside major urban centres.
But rural workers can face:
- seasonal employment;
- low productivity;
- climate risks;
- limited access to finance;
- weak market access;
- inadequate transport;
- limited processing facilities;
- limited social protection.
Rural employment policies should
therefore move beyond the simple objective of preserving existing jobs.
They should support local
economic diversification.
This may include:
- agricultural processing;
- local value chains;
- cooperatives;
- rural tourism;
- renewable energy;
- digital services;
- handicrafts;
- small enterprises;
- logistics;
- environmentally sustainable activities.
The objective is to create an
ecosystem in which rural communities can generate more stable and diversified
livelihoods.
9. Decent Work and Social Protection
Employment cannot be separated from
social protection.
Workers need protection against:
- illness;
- workplace accidents;
- unemployment;
- disability;
- old age;
- loss of income;
- family-related risks.
Social protection can also
strengthen economic resilience.
When households have no protection
against economic shocks, a temporary loss of income can quickly become a
long-term poverty problem.
Decent employment policies should
therefore connect labour-market measures with social-protection systems.
The broader policy framework should
include:
Employment + Social Protection +
Skills + Labour Rights + Economic Inclusion
10. Measuring Decent Work
Employment policies require
measurable indicators.
A useful monitoring framework can
include:
Labour-market
indicators
- unemployment rate;
- employment rate;
- labour-force participation;
- youth unemployment;
- female unemployment;
- graduate unemployment.
Job-quality
indicators
- formal employment;
- informal employment;
- wages;
- working hours;
- occupational safety;
- employment stability;
- access to social protection.
Inclusion
indicators
- women in employment;
- youth employment;
- employment of persons with disabilities;
- regional employment gaps;
- rural employment;
- vulnerable workers.
Skills
indicators
- participation in vocational training;
- apprenticeships;
- professional certification;
- transition from education to employment;
- employer demand for specific skills.
Without measurable indicators,
employment strategies risk becoming statements of intention rather than
evidence-based policies.
11. From Employment Statistics to Policy Responses
Statistics should lead to policy
questions.
If youth unemployment is extremely
high, policymakers should ask:
Why?
If female unemployment is
significantly higher than male unemployment, they should ask:
Which barriers are preventing women
from entering or remaining in employment?
If graduate unemployment is high,
they should ask:
Where is the mismatch between
education and labour-market demand?
If rural employment is unstable,
they should ask:
Which local economic sectors can
generate more sustainable livelihoods?
This is the difference between
simply reporting unemployment and conducting evidence-based employment
analysis.
12. Policy Response 1: Strengthen School-to-Work
Transitions
Young people need pathways from
education into employment.
Policies can strengthen:
- career guidance;
- apprenticeships;
- internships;
- vocational training;
- employer partnerships;
- professional mentoring;
- digital skills;
- entrepreneurship training.
The objective should be to reduce
the distance between education and the first job.
13. Policy Response 2: Support Women’s Economic
Participation
Women face multiple barriers to
employment.
Policies should consider:
- childcare;
- safe transportation;
- flexible work;
- equal pay;
- protection against discrimination;
- access to finance;
- entrepreneurship;
- professional training;
- digital work opportunities;
- support for rural women.
The objective should not simply be
increasing women's employment statistics.
It should be creating conditions in
which women can access productive, secure and sustainable employment.
14. Policy Response 3: Support Local Economic
Development
Employment policy should connect
with local development.
Local authorities and development
organizations can map:
- economic resources;
- unemployed groups;
- skills;
- local enterprises;
- investment opportunities;
- infrastructure gaps;
- market opportunities.
This can produce place-based
employment strategies rather than applying the same solution everywhere.
15. Policy Response 4: Expand Digital and Remote Work
Opportunities
Digital transformation has created
new possibilities for employment.
Remote work can potentially reduce
some geographic barriers, particularly for workers who have:
- digital skills;
- language skills;
- professional expertise;
- internet access;
- reliable digital infrastructure.
Potential areas include:
- digital journalism;
- translation;
- content writing;
- online education;
- research;
- data services;
- communications;
- digital marketing;
- software and technology services.
However, remote work should not be
treated as a substitute for broader labour-market reform.
It requires digital inclusion,
appropriate skills, reliable connectivity and access to international or
national markets.
16. Policy Response 5: Improve Labour-Market Data
Good employment policy depends on
good data.
Labour-market statistics should be:
- regular;
- transparent;
- disaggregated;
- comparable;
- geographically detailed;
- gender-sensitive;
- age-sensitive.
Data should help answer questions
such as:
- Where are jobs being created?
- Which sectors are expanding?
- Which groups remain excluded?
- What skills are employers demanding?
- Which regions have the highest unemployment?
- How many young people are NEET?
- How widespread is informal employment?
- Which interventions actually improve employment
outcomes?
Data should therefore be treated as
a policy infrastructure.
17. From Projects to Employment Ecosystems
Short-term employment projects can
help individuals, but sustainable employment requires stronger economic
ecosystems.
A local employment ecosystem may
include:
Education → Skills → Finance →
Enterprise → Markets → Infrastructure → Social Protection → Employment
If one component is missing,
employment outcomes may remain weak.
For example, training unemployed
young people without connecting them to employers may produce certificates
without jobs.
Providing finance without market
access may create businesses that cannot survive.
Building infrastructure without
supporting local enterprises may create assets without sufficient economic
activity.
Employment policy must therefore
consider the entire system.
18. Evidence-Based Employment Policy
A stronger employment strategy
follows a cycle:
Measure → Understand → Prioritize →
Design → Implement → Monitor → Evaluate → Adapt
Measure
Collect reliable labour-market data.
Understand
Identify the causes behind
unemployment and exclusion.
Prioritize
Determine which groups and regions
require the greatest attention.
Design
Develop interventions based on
evidence.
Implement
Deliver services, training,
investment and employment support.
Monitor
Track outputs and outcomes.
Evaluate
Determine whether interventions
actually worked.
Adapt
Modify policies according to
evidence.
This cycle transforms employment
policy from a collection of programmes into a learning system.
19. Key Employment Data — Tunisia
|
Indicator |
Latest
figure |
Period |
Source |
|
Overall unemployment |
14.9% |
Q2 2026 |
INS |
|
Unemployed people |
622,400 |
Q2 2026 |
INS |
|
Male unemployment |
11.8% |
Q2 2026 |
INS |
|
Female unemployment |
21.6% |
Q2 2026 |
INS |
|
Graduate unemployment |
26.6% |
Q2 2026 |
INS |
|
Male graduate unemployment |
14.2% |
Q2 2026 |
INS |
|
Female graduate unemployment |
35.6% |
Q2 2026 |
INS |
|
Youth unemployment, 15–24 |
38.4% |
Q4 2025 |
INS |
|
Young men, 15–24 |
37.0% |
Q4 2025 |
INS |
|
Young women, 15–24 |
41.3% |
Q4 2025 |
INS |
|
Youth NEET, 15–29 |
29.4% |
2024 |
ILO |
|
Employment in services |
53.3% |
Q4 2025 |
INS |
|
Employment in manufacturing |
18.9% |
Q4 2025 |
INS |
|
Employment in agriculture &
fishing |
14.8% |
Q4 2025 |
INS |
Conclusion
Decent work is not simply a question
of reducing unemployment.
It is a question of creating an
economy in which people can find productive employment, earn adequate incomes,
develop their skills, enjoy labour rights and obtain protection against
economic and social risks.
Tunisia's labour-market data
demonstrates the scale of the challenge.
An overall unemployment rate of 14.9%
in the second quarter of 2026 remains significant.
But the national average tells only
part of the story.
Female unemployment reached 21.6%,
compared with 11.8% for men.
Graduate unemployment reached 26.6%,
rising to 35.6% among women graduates.
Youth unemployment had reached 38.4%
among people aged 15–24 at the end of 2025.
And 29.4% of young people aged
15–29 were NEET in 2024, according to the ILO.
These figures demonstrate that
employment exclusion is not a single problem.
It affects young people, women,
graduates and vulnerable communities in different ways.
The policy response must therefore
be equally differentiated.
Employment strategies should
combine:
Skills + Enterprise + Investment +
Labour Rights + Social Protection + Local Development + Digital Inclusion +
Reliable Data
The ultimate objective is not simply
to increase the number of people counted as employed.
It is to build labour markets that
are productive, inclusive, resilient and fair.
Decent work is both an economic
objective and a social development objective.
And effective employment policy
begins when statistics are transformed into understanding, and understanding is
transformed into action.
Sources
and Data
Tunisia National Institute of
Statistics (INS)
Employment and unemployment indicators, quarterly labour-market statistics.
International Labour Organization
(ILO)
Youth NEET and labour-market analysis for Tunisia.
ATEP MED – Arab Digital Center for
Media & Development
Research, development communication and evidence-based reporting.
Prepared and published by: Mohamed
Chaieb Barhoumi
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