Curing Chronic Unemployment in Tunisia
2 May 2011
Read by 1254 persons
To ensure its political and social stability and its long-term economic development, Tunisia must find solutions to unemployment. Some are proposed here.
1) A proper public employment service
Why do rich countries, with flourishing economies and low unemployment, still have employment services with abundant staff, resources, and services for businesses and job seekers? Couldn't they do without them? No, because while it can be admitted that in many areas a market can regulate itself, in the area of employment, the State must intervene to facilitate intermediation between the company and the person seeking employment.
Does all this have a cost? Yes, of course, but unemployment, especially youth unemployment, has a cost for society. A political cost, an economic cost and above all a social cost. And everyone now knows that social stability is priceless!
2) Powerful tools to facilitate the meeting between the company and the future employee
The mismatch between newcomers to the job market and the positions offered very often stems from an inadequate training and guidance system. Taking preventive action to correct this problem will considerably reduce unemployment downstream. To adjust training to the needs of businesses, more apprenticeship contracts must be offered. In addition, training that meets the job openings that will be offered in 3 or 4 years must be promoted. Letting young people follow general training when it is known from the outset that there are no job openings on the job market is to build one's own social time bomb. To do this, we must have prospective monitoring cells regarding future job openings. In addition, young people must be guided very early on towards promising jobs by raising their awareness of the reality of job openings.
Simply put, this involves setting up a national reference website allowing employers to easily and freely post their job offers online and job seekers to consult these offers. On this site, job seekers could also leave their CVs as part of a CV database organized by profession and searchable by employers.
The Tunisian employment service must have a precise and reliable mapping of the companies present in its territory or wishing to establish themselves in Tunisia. In this database, companies will be segmented according to their potential for job offers. Thus, action plans would be put in place around these companies. Both in terms of their prospecting, to facilitate their collection of offers and to set up short adaptation training courses for the unemployed in relation to the positions offered by these companies.
3) Innovate, sell, diversify
How? By setting up more competitiveness clusters, bringing together in a given territory, companies, research centers and training organizations aiming at a common development strategy around innovative projects aimed at one or more markets. The created and labeled competitiveness cluster allows for the pooling of resources. Tax advantages can be granted in exchange for quantified job creation objectives. Competitiveness clusters, in addition to creating powerful synergies (union makes strength), give strong visibility at the regional and international level.
International task forces must be created. Of course, there are joint chambers of commerce between two countries that allow us to see business opportunities to be made, but this is not enough.
Who knows that currently, dozens of French and European IT companies are short of staff and cannot meet the demand. Many of these SMEs are headed by a manager who handles sales, HR, operations...and therefore does not have time to see which subcontractor could relieve him. Sales representatives responsible for offering Tunisian skills to these companies would generate work and employment in Tunisia. These companies must therefore be approached in a dynamic and commercial way, and not only during meetings at fairs or trade shows.
Tunisia has all its eggs in one basket, while it has extraordinary assets to diversify.
In the tourism sector: Customers are currently demanding niche tourism offers (golf tourism (Morocco has built no less than 10 golf courses in 10 years), "bio" tourism/bed and breakfasts...cultural tourism (and Tunisia, several millennia old, has many assets in this area)). These niche tourism offers are generally more remunerative than simple seaside tourism, which not only confines tourism to coastal areas (no one spends their money inland) but prevents the exploitation of Tunisian potential.
In terms of geographical outlets:
Tunisia must draw inspiration from the Chinese example; for them, there are no small outlets, to the point that they commercially invade even the poorest countries in Africa to sell them their products.
Tunisia must turn more towards horizons it has neglected until now. It can offer its technological know-how, its know-how in construction, its products to Africa, Asia and no longer depend on a single country or continent. It would gain commercially and politically!
In terms of sectors to be developed:
The rise in raw materials, and particularly food, has not escaped anyone's notice. Agriculture is likely to become a source of wealth (multiplied by 3) in the next 50 years. Tunisia must turn more towards this path to meet its domestic demand but also to position itself more on this very promising market. Its geography allows it, and the quantity and quality of its land as well.
There is no doubt that Tunisia, a small country in terms of geography but large in terms of history and human quality, will overcome this troubled period. But Tunisia must also equip itself with technical means to boost its labor market. In addition, Tunisians must have confidence in their abilities and position themselves not as subcontractors but as creators of opportunities and products, thus unemployment will decrease. I also think that mentalities are beginning to change in this direction. Didn't a Tunisian minister recently declare to Europe that Tunisia now wanted to be treated as a partner?
Published on April 29, 2011
Posted online on May 2, 2011
lecercle.lesechos.fr
1) A proper public employment service
Why do rich countries, with flourishing economies and low unemployment, still have employment services with abundant staff, resources, and services for businesses and job seekers? Couldn't they do without them? No, because while it can be admitted that in many areas a market can regulate itself, in the area of employment, the State must intervene to facilitate intermediation between the company and the person seeking employment.
Does all this have a cost? Yes, of course, but unemployment, especially youth unemployment, has a cost for society. A political cost, an economic cost and above all a social cost. And everyone now knows that social stability is priceless!
2) Powerful tools to facilitate the meeting between the company and the future employee
The mismatch between newcomers to the job market and the positions offered very often stems from an inadequate training and guidance system. Taking preventive action to correct this problem will considerably reduce unemployment downstream. To adjust training to the needs of businesses, more apprenticeship contracts must be offered. In addition, training that meets the job openings that will be offered in 3 or 4 years must be promoted. Letting young people follow general training when it is known from the outset that there are no job openings on the job market is to build one's own social time bomb. To do this, we must have prospective monitoring cells regarding future job openings. In addition, young people must be guided very early on towards promising jobs by raising their awareness of the reality of job openings.
Simply put, this involves setting up a national reference website allowing employers to easily and freely post their job offers online and job seekers to consult these offers. On this site, job seekers could also leave their CVs as part of a CV database organized by profession and searchable by employers.
The Tunisian employment service must have a precise and reliable mapping of the companies present in its territory or wishing to establish themselves in Tunisia. In this database, companies will be segmented according to their potential for job offers. Thus, action plans would be put in place around these companies. Both in terms of their prospecting, to facilitate their collection of offers and to set up short adaptation training courses for the unemployed in relation to the positions offered by these companies.
3) Innovate, sell, diversify
How? By setting up more competitiveness clusters, bringing together in a given territory, companies, research centers and training organizations aiming at a common development strategy around innovative projects aimed at one or more markets. The created and labeled competitiveness cluster allows for the pooling of resources. Tax advantages can be granted in exchange for quantified job creation objectives. Competitiveness clusters, in addition to creating powerful synergies (union makes strength), give strong visibility at the regional and international level.
International task forces must be created. Of course, there are joint chambers of commerce between two countries that allow us to see business opportunities to be made, but this is not enough.
Who knows that currently, dozens of French and European IT companies are short of staff and cannot meet the demand. Many of these SMEs are headed by a manager who handles sales, HR, operations...and therefore does not have time to see which subcontractor could relieve him. Sales representatives responsible for offering Tunisian skills to these companies would generate work and employment in Tunisia. These companies must therefore be approached in a dynamic and commercial way, and not only during meetings at fairs or trade shows.
Tunisia has all its eggs in one basket, while it has extraordinary assets to diversify.
In the tourism sector: Customers are currently demanding niche tourism offers (golf tourism (Morocco has built no less than 10 golf courses in 10 years), "bio" tourism/bed and breakfasts...cultural tourism (and Tunisia, several millennia old, has many assets in this area)). These niche tourism offers are generally more remunerative than simple seaside tourism, which not only confines tourism to coastal areas (no one spends their money inland) but prevents the exploitation of Tunisian potential.
In terms of geographical outlets:
Tunisia must draw inspiration from the Chinese example; for them, there are no small outlets, to the point that they commercially invade even the poorest countries in Africa to sell them their products.
Tunisia must turn more towards horizons it has neglected until now. It can offer its technological know-how, its know-how in construction, its products to Africa, Asia and no longer depend on a single country or continent. It would gain commercially and politically!
In terms of sectors to be developed:
The rise in raw materials, and particularly food, has not escaped anyone's notice. Agriculture is likely to become a source of wealth (multiplied by 3) in the next 50 years. Tunisia must turn more towards this path to meet its domestic demand but also to position itself more on this very promising market. Its geography allows it, and the quantity and quality of its land as well.
There is no doubt that Tunisia, a small country in terms of geography but large in terms of history and human quality, will overcome this troubled period. But Tunisia must also equip itself with technical means to boost its labor market. In addition, Tunisians must have confidence in their abilities and position themselves not as subcontractors but as creators of opportunities and products, thus unemployment will decrease. I also think that mentalities are beginning to change in this direction. Didn't a Tunisian minister recently declare to Europe that Tunisia now wanted to be treated as a partner?
Published on April 29, 2011
Posted online on May 2, 2011
lecercle.lesechos.fr
