Tunisia’s economic crisis deepens as hopes for a better life fade
In Tunisia, many recent university graduates like Cherine Ghanmi entered higher education hoping a degree would lift their families out of poverty. Ghanmi grew up in the marginalized town of al‑Mazzunah in the Sidi Bou Zid governorate, walking five kilometres each day to a school her parents barely could afford. They expected her future job to ease their financial burden after years of sacrifice.
More than a decade after she earned her diploma in 2012, Ghanmi is still without work and continues to rely on her parents. “We studied and graduated believing we had finally found a way out of poverty,” she told Al Jazeera. “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.” She added that reality proved a harsh shock, and instead of helping her family she feels she has become a greater burden.
Ghanmi’s story mirrors that of thousands of unemployed graduates, whose struggle has become a symbol of Tunisia’s broader economic malaise, marked by scarce jobs, rising financial pressure and growing frustration with successive administrations.
The “Dignity March” began on 27 September when a small group of unemployed graduates set out on a roughly 300‑kilometre trek from Menzel Bouzaiane toward the capital, Tunis, demanding jobs and the enforcement of a law meant to create a clear route into public‑sector employment. Organisers said the march started with 23 participants, but the number swelled to more than 120 as the walkers progressed. The journey was physically taxing; participants stopped several times due to exhaustion and injuries.
On 6 October police blocked the march in the town of Borj Cedria, south of Tunis, telling the demonstrators they could travel individually but not as a group. The protesters had hoped to reach the Carthage suburb, where the presidential palace stands, to press their demands.
For Ghanmi, the march was more than a protest; it was an expression of the disappointment felt by graduates who have spent years searching for work. Many participants say they have waited for promises of public‑sector recruitment to become concrete opportunities.
The march took place amid wider discontent over Tunisia’s economic and political direction. On 17 October, thousands gathered in Tunis to protest President Kais Saied’s government, worsening living conditions and restrictions on freedoms. The rally, organized by the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), opposition parties and civil‑society groups, was one of the largest anti‑Saied demonstrations in recent years. Demonstrators voiced anger over unemployment and the difficulty many families face in meeting basic needs.
Saied, who has consolidated power since 2021, frames his political project as a response to corruption and the failures of the old political class. Critics argue that his concentration of authority has weakened democratic checks while doing little to solve the country’s economic woes.
Unemployment statistics illustrate the scale of the problem. Tunisia’s National Institute of Statistics reported a 14.9 percent overall unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2026. Among university graduates the rate was 26.6 percent, with women graduates at 35.6 percent and men at 14.2 percent. Youth aged 15 to 24 faced a 35.4 percent unemployment rate.
“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,” said Cherif Khraifi, spokesperson for the Tunisian Union of Higher Education Graduates. “Their biggest concern was ensuring they stayed in power.”
Efforts to tackle graduate unemployment have repeatedly raised expectations without delivering results. Law No 38 of 2022 was intended to create a pathway for long‑term unemployed graduates, but its implementation stalled due to financial constraints. Khraifi described such measures as “tools for letting off steam” rather than genuine solutions.
Law No 18 of 2025 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 outlines criteria for prioritising candidates, with recruitment to occur in phases over a maximum of three years from the law’s publication. The law was dated 22 December 2025, published in the Official Gazette on 23 December 2025 and entered into force that day. Article 6 specifies that recruitment phases must not exceed three years from publication.
Graduates participating in the Dignity March have demanded a transparent implementation process for the law, including clear practical arrangements and a timetable for hiring. For those who have already spent years out of work, the delay feels like another broken promise in a country where hope for a better future continues to fade.