Tunisia’s economic crisis deepens as the promise of a better life fades

Tunis, Tunisia – Like many Tunisian university graduates, Cherine Ghanmi believed a degree would offer her family a way out of poverty.

Growing up in the marginalised town of al-Mazzunah, in the central Sidi Bou Zid governorate, Ghanmi had walked 5km (3.1 miles) to the school her parents struggled to put her through. They hoped she would eventually find a job and support them financially, easing their burden after years of sacrifice.

But more than a decade after graduating in 2012, she remains unemployed. Instead of supporting her parents, she says, she continues to rely on them.

“We studied and graduated believing we had finally found a way out of poverty,” she said. “We thought that once we found jobs, we could make up for all that hardship, repay our parents for their sacrifices and make them happy.”

“Unfortunately, reality was a big shock for us,” she added. “Instead of helping them, we have burdened them even more.”

For Ghanmi and thousands of other unemployed university graduates, the struggle to find work has become a symbol of Tunisia’s wider economic crisis, marked by limited opportunities, mounting financial pressure and growing frustration with successive governments.

The ‘Dignity March’

On September 27, unemployed university graduates began a roughly 300km (186-mile) march from Menzel Bouzaiane in central Tunisia towards the capital, Tunis, to demand jobs and the implementation of legislation intended to provide a clear path to public-sector employment.

Known as the “Dignity March”, it began with 23 participants, according to organisers. More graduates joined along the route, with the coordinating committee later estimating that the number had grown to more than 120.

The journey was physically demanding. Participants paused at points because of exhaustion and injuries before continuing towards the capital.

On October 6, police blocked the group from moving forward in the town of Borj Cedria, south of Tunis. Participants said they were told they could travel individually, but not as a group. The marchers had hoped to reach the Tunis suburb of Carthage, where the presidential palace is located, to press their demands.

For Ghanmi, “the Dignity March was not just a march”, she said, describing it as an expression of the hardship and disappointment experienced by graduates who had spent years searching for work.

Many protesters say they have waited years for promises of public-sector recruitment to translate into real opportunities.

Their demands came amid broader discontent over Tunisia’s economic and political direction.

On October 17, thousands gathered in Tunis to protest against President Kais Saied’s government, deteriorating living conditions and restrictions on freedoms. The demonstration, led by the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), opposition groups and civil society organisations, was among the largest against Saied in years.

Participants voiced frustration over unemployment and the difficulties many households face in meeting their basic needs.

Saied, who has concentrated power since 2021, has presented his political project as a response to corruption and the failures of the established political class. Critics say the concentration of power has weakened democratic checks and balances while doing little to resolve the country’s economic problems.

Stalled promises

The unemployment figures reflect the scale of the challenge. According to Tunisia’s National Institute of Statistics (INS), the overall unemployment rate stood at 14.9 percent in the second quarter of 2026. Among university graduates, it was 26.6 percent. The rate for women graduates was 35.6 percent, compared with 14.2 percent for men. Among those aged 15 to 24, unemployment reached 35.4 percent.

“Almost all the governments that succeeded one another after the [2011] revolution did not make the economic situation, development and the treatment of social issues real priorities,” Cherif Khraifi, spokesperson for the Tunisian Union of Higher Education Graduates, told Al Jazeera.

“Their biggest concern was ensuring they stayed in power.”

Attempts to address graduate unemployment have repeatedly raised expectations. The 2022 Law No. 38 intended to establish an employment pathway for long-term unemployed university graduates, but the law’s implementation stalled amid financial constraints.

Khraifi said measures intended to address the crisis have too often served as “tools for letting off steam” rather than resolving the problem.

The 2025 Law No. 18 provides for the exceptional recruitment of long-term unemployed university graduates into the public sector and civil service. It calls for a digital platform to register eligible applicants and sets out criteria for prioritising candidates. Recruitment is to take place in phases over no more than three years from the law’s publication.

The law was dated 22 December 2025 and published in Tunisia’s Official Gazette on 23 December 2025, when it entered into force. Article 6 provides for recruitment in phases over a period not exceeding three years from the date of publication.

The graduates taking part in the Dignity March have demanded a clear process for implementing the law, including practical arrangements and a timetable for recruitment. For people who have already spent years out of work, another promise offers little reassurance without concrete steps towards employment.

Ghanmi is also sceptical of Saied’s community-based companies programme, which aims to promote local development and employment through projects established by people in their communities.

“The authorities insist on promoting community companies as a solution for jobs and development, yet none of these companies managed to do that,” she said.

Public-sector recruitment alone cannot resolve a problem of this scale, Khraifi argued. Tunisia also needs investment and businesses capable of expanding and hiring. In disadvantaged regions, where employment is scarce and access to capital is limited, starting a business can be difficult.

For graduates such as Ghanmi, the central question is whether government policies will translate into actual jobs.

An economy struggling to create opportunities

Anis Ben Said, a tax adviser and university professor, said Tunisia’s “problem is not a lack of skills, but the economy’s inability to turn skills into production, investment and job opportunities”.

Weak investment has constrained the creation of businesses and jobs, he told Al Jazeera. Poor infrastructure and unreliable public services also make it harder for businesses to operate, particularly in regions already struggling to attract investment.

According to the INS, Tunisia’s economy grew by 2.7 percent in 2025 and by 2.4 percent in the first half of 2026. In September, the World Bank projected growth of 2.3 percent for the full year.

But economic growth does not necessarily create enough jobs for those who need them. For unemployed graduates, the figures offer little reassurance unless growth translates into accessible employment opportunities.

“The financial crisis explains part of the problem, but it does not justify all of it,” Ben Said said.

He pointed to shortcomings in investment and the management and maintenance of public infrastructure as barriers to economic activity.

“Infrastructure investment is not just a public expense, it is a productive economic investment,” he said

This summer, extreme heat coincided with electricity cuts and water shortages in several parts of Tunisia. Disruptions to these basic services affected businesses and added to public frustration.

The Reuters news agency reported that recurring power and water cuts were among the grievances raised at the October 17 demonstration.

For small businesses, interruptions to basic services can mean lost customers and income. Where jobs are already scarce, such disruptions make earning a living even harder.

In L’Aouina, a northern suburb of Tunis, 20-year-old barber Khalil said he was waiting for an opportunity to leave the country by boat.

“There’s nothing worth staying for in this country. Dying at sea would be a relief,” he said.

“I’m going to leave as soon as I can, and let them figure out the solutions on their own. Our generation has borne the brunt of all these crises, and nothing is left for us.”

Others struggle to keep their business afloat.

Khalil’s neighbour, a grocery shop owner who asked not to be named, said persistent problems with the water supply had become exhausting.

“I think the only solution is for someone to take over this shop. I cannot keep up with these crises any more,” he said.

For Ghanmi, the years without work have brought more than financial hardship.

“The wound on the body heals, but the wound in the mind and heart does not heal,” she said. “It really does not heal.”