Tunisian Labor Market Shows Slight Improvement in Q4 2025
The Tunisian labor market experienced a modest improvement in the fourth quarter of 2025, with a slight increase in employment and a decrease in the overall unemployment rate.
Employment on the Rise
The number of employed individuals increased by 4,200 compared to the previous quarter, reaching a total of 3,609,800 active workers. However, this employed population remains unevenly distributed between sexes, with men accounting for 71% of the workforce (2,561,800 jobs) and women representing only 29% (1,048,100 jobs). This disparity highlights the persistence of structural obstacles to female employment.
Sectoral Distribution of Employment
The sectoral distribution of employment confirms the dominant position of services, which account for more than half of the employed workforce (53.3%). This is followed by manufacturing industries (18.9%), agriculture and fishing (14.8%), and non-manufacturing industries (12.9%). This structure shows that the Tunisian economy remains largely tertiary, although the agricultural sector still plays an important role, particularly in rural areas.
Unemployment Trends
The unemployment trend is also improving, but with contrasting developments by sex. The number of unemployed individuals decreased by 8,500 to reach 645,200, resulting in an overall unemployment rate of 15.2%, down from 15.4% in the previous quarter. This decrease is largely driven by the significant decline in female unemployment, which fell from 22.4% to 20.8%. In contrast, the male unemployment rate increased slightly, rising from 12.1% to 12.6%, which may reflect difficulties in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as industry or construction.
Youth Unemployment Remains a Concern
The situation of young people aged 15-24 remains worrying, although it has improved slightly. Their unemployment rate stands at 38.4% in the fourth quarter, down from 40.1% in the previous quarter. Young women are still the most affected, with an unemployment rate of 41.3%, compared to 37% for young men. These figures illustrate the persistent difficulty of integrating young people into the labor market, despite existing measures.
Graduate Unemployment Decreases
The unemployment rate among higher education graduates has decreased significantly, falling from 24.9% to 22.5% in one quarter. However, the gap between sexes is striking. Only 11.7% of male graduates are unemployed, compared to 30.5% of female graduates. This difference reveals specific obstacles to female employment, which persist despite a high level of qualification, and raises questions about the match between training and labor market needs, as well as potential hiring discrimination.
Conclusion
The fourth quarter of 2025 confirms a trend of improving employment and decreasing unemployment. However, it also highlights structural fragilities that require targeted public policies to promote female employment, youth integration, and a better match between training and employment.
