Improving skills and employment opportunities in Tunisia
Unemployment rates have been persistently high, particularly for young labour market
entrants. Rising access to education has increased the supply of high-skilled labour,
but the private sector has mainly created jobs in low-skill intensive and low-productivity
activities, leading to high unemployment rates among tertiary graduates and particularly
for women. Moreover, education and professional training systems operate in isolation
from labour market needs and do not equip workers with the skills demanded by firms.
Labour market policies and regulations discourage formal job creation and complicate
the matching process in the labour market. To foster business dynamism and innovation
and create more and better jobs, it is crucial to lower regulatory barriers to market
entry and entrepreneurship, raise the international integration of domestic firms
and adjust labour taxes. The quality of education and professional training needs
to improve, and more cooperation with the private sector is necessary to better prepare
youth and young adults for the labour market. Better targeting of active labour market
policies and reducing barriers to labour mobility are key to improve labour market
matching.
Published on October 10, 2022
In series:OECD Economics Department Working Papersview more titles