Decent Jobs for Tunisia’s Young People – Tackling the Challenge together

Three years after the 2011 revolution, Tunisia’s labour market still faces profound imbalances. Many are left on the side-lines, either into inactivity and unemployment, or into precarious jobs that leave workers below or close to the poverty line. Tunisia’s transition has produced some remarkable outcomes (the adoption of the Constitution in January 2014, the Social Contract of 2013), but has still not delivered on jobs, especially on jobs for Tunisia’s youth. An entrenched gender divide and significant territorial differences are further critical tests to Tunisia’s short-term stability and longer-term prospects. This project aims at bringing about visible, short- to medium-term change in the labour market outcomes of young people in Tunisia. It is taking a localised approach to employment promotion. The three Governorates of Beja, Jendouba and Siliana have been selected as target areas for the project to focus on. Specific delegations within these Governorates are also identified. The selection has primarily been based on the Regional Development Index calculated by the Ministry of Regional Development and Planning in 2012. The index consolidates a large number of social and economic development indicators at governorate and delegations levels. The geographical distribution of development partners investment and engagement in Tunisia and local absorptive capacities have also been taken into account in discussions with the MDCI, MEFP the social partners, and DANIDA, for the identification of these three areas. The project will provide comprehensive, locally-identified support to local authorities, the social partners and the civil society, to identify and address short-to-medium term challenges and opportunities for youth employment promotion. The intervention will combine an economic focus on key sectors with high potential for economic and job growth, as well as a social focus on most vulnerable groups of youth in the labour market. The institutionalisation of youth employment promotion within the local administration’s strategic plans and public financing through decentralised local resources will also be pursued. The social partners andother key civil society stakeholders will be fully engaged in these processes. Working at the local level in a region that concentrates many of Tunisia’s youth employment challenges is instrumental in acquiring information on “real world” policy challenges. The project and its partners will therefore be well placed to identify key policy design and transmission issues that are undermining national employment efforts. More efficient and systematic interactions between local and national policy levels will be supported and capacities built accordingly, at national and local levels. The preparation of a National Action Plan on Youth Employment will allow institutionalising these efforts. The National Employment Strategy (currently supported by the ILO through a Spanish-funded project in the Maghreb) will be the springboard for this work. The adoption of a NAP on youth employment (and of a national employment strategy) will also allow the coordination and coherence among government, Tunisian and development partners that is currently lacking among the large number of engaged actors.

Project symbol

TUN/14/01/DAN

Admin unit

CO-Algiers

Start date

01/09/2014

End date

31/12/2017

Total allocation

2650106

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

2621281

Development Partners

Denmark, Danish International Development Agency

Country/Countries

Tunisia

Outcomes

More and better jobs for inclusive growth and improved youth employment prospects