Tunisia’s Unemployment Eases Slightly in Early 2026 Amid Persistent Gender and Regional Gaps

Unemployment declined slightly in the first quarter of 2026, reaching 15% compared to 15.2% in the final quarter of 2025, according to data released on May 15 by the National Institute of Statistics. The rate stood at 14.4% in urban areas, while rural regions recorded a higher rate of 16.5%, highlighting ongoing regional differences in Tunisia.

The total number of unemployed individuals decreased to 641,700 from 645,200 in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the labor force expanded modestly, rising to 4.268 million people from 4.255 million, an increase of 13,000. The labor force participation rate among individuals aged 15 and over also improved, reaching 45.9% compared to 45.4% previously.

Unemployment edges down slightly as job creation improves, but youth and graduate unemployment remain high and gender gaps persist across the labor market

Employment figures showed positive movement, with the number of employed persons increasing to 3,626,300 from 3,609,800 in the prior quarter. This represents a gain of 16,500 employed individuals. Of the total employed population, 2,532,200 were men and 1,094,100 were women, accounting for 69.8% and 30.2% respectively, indicating a continued gender imbalance in the workforce.

Sectoral distribution of employment remains largely unchanged. The service sector continues to dominate, employing 52.9% of the workforce. Manufacturing industries account for 19%, followed by non-manufacturing industries at 12.3%. Agriculture and fishing represent 15.7% of total employment, maintaining a significant share, particularly in rural areas.

Gender-based unemployment rates showed slight improvements

The unemployment rate for men decreased to 12.3% from 12.6%, while the rate for women edged down marginally from 20.8% to 20.7%. Despite these declines, disparities between men and women remain notable.

Youth unemployment also showed improvement, with the rate for individuals aged 15 to 24 falling to 37.5% from 38.4% in the previous quarter. However, the outlook for university graduates worsened, as their unemployment rate increased from 22.5% to 24.2%. Gender disparities are particularly pronounced among graduates, with unemployment affecting 14.2% of male graduates compared to a significantly higher 32% among female graduates.

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(Featured image by Hennie Stander via Unsplash)

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First published in Financial Afrik. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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