Tunisia: The Ravages of Informal Employment
11 July 2013
Read by 1959 persons
"We must be alarmed by informal employment in Tunisia as it is an attack on human dignity," declared Naoufel Jemmali, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, to Africanmanager, on the sidelines of a meeting organized this Wednesday, June 26, 2013, on informal employment, at the initiative of the Tunisian Association for Management and Social Stability (TAMSS) and the American organization "Global Fairness Initiative." He added that it is time to react more effectively and practically to this problem: "We started today, and we will not stop. We will try to come up with a number of practical recommendations that will eventually allow us to integrate these types of informal activities into the country's economic sphere," he said.
The Minister of Employment also explained to Africanmanager that informal employment is encouraged by several factors, mainly legislation that, in his opinion, is not repressive enough towards those who employ people in violation of the law.
In this context, he called for in-depth reflection on taxation in order to encourage everyone to formalize their activities, stressing that this is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Employment, but rather of all ministries. Indeed, numerous statistics today prove the alarming scale of informal work. According to a World Bank report published in 2010, it represents 38% of Tunisia's gross domestic product and 53% of all employment in the country. Those involved are generally male, without diplomas, and aged 25 to 54.
It should be noted that an agreement was signed on the sidelines of this meeting between the Ministry of Employment, the Tunisian Association for Management and Social Stability (TAMSS), and the American organization "Global Fairness Initiative." This program aims to promote direct working conditions in the informal sector, through the creation of a more inclusive legal and economic framework for 100 informal workers using a participatory approach.
The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training welcomed the signing of this agreement, as it is part of the ministry's strategy to strengthen its efforts with civil society, stressing that the ministry alone cannot fight this phenomenon: "Our objective is to strengthen the role of civil society so that it contributes effectively to job creation and structuring the informal sector," he said.
He further stated that this agreement could be easily evaluated since it is based on quantitative objectives, calling for avoiding the previously signed protocol agreements that only serve media or political marketing.
The minister explained that the partnership with TAMSS was established to develop programs and find practical solutions to protect human dignity and allow the national community to benefit from these activities.
The phenomenon of informal employment has a negative impact at the individual level, since no labor rights are guaranteed, neither materially nor morally. No protection is provided in case of workplace accidents, and no social or medical coverage is provided. In addition, contributions to retirement plans are never integrated into this sector. Worse, the non-respect of these rights automatically impacts the social fabric directly, pushing workers to resort to anarchic, often illegal solutions and contributing to increased poverty in society.
At the economic level, the impact is even more tangible, particularly during this transitional period the country is going through. Informal work has weakened and dispersed many businesses, creating at the same time significant commercial disorder with respect to which state control of income is totally absent.
Khadija Taboubi.
Africanmanager.com
Published June 26, 2013.
Posted July 11, 2013.
The Minister of Employment also explained to Africanmanager that informal employment is encouraged by several factors, mainly legislation that, in his opinion, is not repressive enough towards those who employ people in violation of the law.
In this context, he called for in-depth reflection on taxation in order to encourage everyone to formalize their activities, stressing that this is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Employment, but rather of all ministries. Indeed, numerous statistics today prove the alarming scale of informal work. According to a World Bank report published in 2010, it represents 38% of Tunisia's gross domestic product and 53% of all employment in the country. Those involved are generally male, without diplomas, and aged 25 to 54.
It should be noted that an agreement was signed on the sidelines of this meeting between the Ministry of Employment, the Tunisian Association for Management and Social Stability (TAMSS), and the American organization "Global Fairness Initiative." This program aims to promote direct working conditions in the informal sector, through the creation of a more inclusive legal and economic framework for 100 informal workers using a participatory approach.
The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training welcomed the signing of this agreement, as it is part of the ministry's strategy to strengthen its efforts with civil society, stressing that the ministry alone cannot fight this phenomenon: "Our objective is to strengthen the role of civil society so that it contributes effectively to job creation and structuring the informal sector," he said.
He further stated that this agreement could be easily evaluated since it is based on quantitative objectives, calling for avoiding the previously signed protocol agreements that only serve media or political marketing.
The minister explained that the partnership with TAMSS was established to develop programs and find practical solutions to protect human dignity and allow the national community to benefit from these activities.
The phenomenon of informal employment has a negative impact at the individual level, since no labor rights are guaranteed, neither materially nor morally. No protection is provided in case of workplace accidents, and no social or medical coverage is provided. In addition, contributions to retirement plans are never integrated into this sector. Worse, the non-respect of these rights automatically impacts the social fabric directly, pushing workers to resort to anarchic, often illegal solutions and contributing to increased poverty in society.
At the economic level, the impact is even more tangible, particularly during this transitional period the country is going through. Informal work has weakened and dispersed many businesses, creating at the same time significant commercial disorder with respect to which state control of income is totally absent.
Khadija Taboubi.
Africanmanager.com
Published June 26, 2013.
Posted July 11, 2013.
