Tunisia and Libya join forces to create jobs
9 March 2012
Read by 1446 persons
A new agreement allows Tunisia to find jobs for its unemployed youth while providing Libya with a workforce capable of rebuilding the war-torn nation.
[AFP/Fethi Belaid] Tunisian workers will assist Libya in its reconstruction efforts, a boon of employment they greatly need.
Tunisia and Libya have recently agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the employment and vocational training sector.
A memorandum of understanding was signed last week between the Tunisian Minister of Vocational Training and Employment Abdelwahab Maâter and his Libyan counterpart Mustafa Ali Rajabani, in which both parties undertake to facilitate and simplify the procedures for assigning and transferring Tunisian workers to Libya.
During a joint press conference held on February 29, Maâter stated that a committee of Tunisian experts will be set up and sent to Libya to determine the country's workforce needs.
The Tunisian minister announced that this agreement would come into effect in the coming days, emphasizing that it includes measures to ensure that Libya can benefit from Tunisian human resources in its reconstruction programs. Skilled and unskilled workers will be sent to Libya, he specified.
With nearly 800,000 unemployed, Tunisia hopes that Libya's reconstruction will create the desperately needed job opportunities.
This new bilateral agreement also provides for an electronic link between the labor ministries of the two countries. A database will be established and periodically updated to include lists of Tunisian candidates wishing to work in Libya, based on sectors of activity and information related to the needs of the Libyan market.
But this agreement goes beyond simply offering job opportunities to Tunisians. Tunisia will also provide vocational training to Libyans, through centers established in Tunisia in various disciplines. The diplomas awarded will be recognized by both countries.
Libya is trying to help Tunisians, who embraced the cause of the Libyan people and stood by them during the revolution, to overcome the major economic difficulties facing the country, particularly in terms of youth unemployment.
Rajabani, the Libyan Minister of Labor, stressed that Libya will prioritize Tunisian workers at the various stages of reconstruction. He strongly recommended that the Tunisian government, population and businessmen go immediately to Libya to identify opportunities and take their share in terms of work and jobs.
The minister asked Tunisian businessmen to provide as soon as possible investment ideas to help revive the Libyan economy, while downplaying allegations of insecurity.
"The concerns expressed by some regarding the instability of the security situation in Libya are completely unfounded," he said.
A fact confirmed by Iheb Meftah, journalist for Radio February, who explained to Magharebia that "most Libyan cities, particularly in the east, are calm and peaceful, except for some tensions and unrest that occasionally shake cities in the west, which are still not fully under the control of the interim government, due to the presence of militias."
Commenting on the prospects opened up by Tunisian-Libyan cooperation in terms of employment, Meftah explained that the Tunisian workforce will have priority in the country, due to its good reputation and the support provided by Tunisians to the rebels and displaced Libyans during the revolution. He also stressed that a visa was not required for Tunisians to enter Libyan territory.
Monia Ghanmi.
Magharebia.com
Published March 8, 2012.
Posted online March 9, 2012.
[AFP/Fethi Belaid] Tunisian workers will assist Libya in its reconstruction efforts, a boon of employment they greatly need.
Tunisia and Libya have recently agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the employment and vocational training sector.
A memorandum of understanding was signed last week between the Tunisian Minister of Vocational Training and Employment Abdelwahab Maâter and his Libyan counterpart Mustafa Ali Rajabani, in which both parties undertake to facilitate and simplify the procedures for assigning and transferring Tunisian workers to Libya.
During a joint press conference held on February 29, Maâter stated that a committee of Tunisian experts will be set up and sent to Libya to determine the country's workforce needs.
The Tunisian minister announced that this agreement would come into effect in the coming days, emphasizing that it includes measures to ensure that Libya can benefit from Tunisian human resources in its reconstruction programs. Skilled and unskilled workers will be sent to Libya, he specified.
With nearly 800,000 unemployed, Tunisia hopes that Libya's reconstruction will create the desperately needed job opportunities.
This new bilateral agreement also provides for an electronic link between the labor ministries of the two countries. A database will be established and periodically updated to include lists of Tunisian candidates wishing to work in Libya, based on sectors of activity and information related to the needs of the Libyan market.
But this agreement goes beyond simply offering job opportunities to Tunisians. Tunisia will also provide vocational training to Libyans, through centers established in Tunisia in various disciplines. The diplomas awarded will be recognized by both countries.
Libya is trying to help Tunisians, who embraced the cause of the Libyan people and stood by them during the revolution, to overcome the major economic difficulties facing the country, particularly in terms of youth unemployment.
Rajabani, the Libyan Minister of Labor, stressed that Libya will prioritize Tunisian workers at the various stages of reconstruction. He strongly recommended that the Tunisian government, population and businessmen go immediately to Libya to identify opportunities and take their share in terms of work and jobs.
The minister asked Tunisian businessmen to provide as soon as possible investment ideas to help revive the Libyan economy, while downplaying allegations of insecurity.
"The concerns expressed by some regarding the instability of the security situation in Libya are completely unfounded," he said.
A fact confirmed by Iheb Meftah, journalist for Radio February, who explained to Magharebia that "most Libyan cities, particularly in the east, are calm and peaceful, except for some tensions and unrest that occasionally shake cities in the west, which are still not fully under the control of the interim government, due to the presence of militias."
Commenting on the prospects opened up by Tunisian-Libyan cooperation in terms of employment, Meftah explained that the Tunisian workforce will have priority in the country, due to its good reputation and the support provided by Tunisians to the rebels and displaced Libyans during the revolution. He also stressed that a visa was not required for Tunisians to enter Libyan territory.
Monia Ghanmi.
Magharebia.com
Published March 8, 2012.
Posted online March 9, 2012.
