Tunisia: Understanding Conflict 2012 - Johns Hopkins School of ...

Figure 2: Unemployment by age and education
Source: (Lahcen Achy, December 2011): The author’s calculations are
based on the data released by the Tunisian National Institute of Statistics.
The unemployment rate is measured on the left hand side axis and
grouped by age.
The figure above shows that within skilled labor markets those with a high school
degree or higher find it extremely difficult to find a job. It also shows that unemployment
rates decline with age. First-time job seekers within the skilled labor market find it
extremely difficult to find jobs. Many argue that there is a gap or mismatch of workers
and jobs because the skilled labor market does not hold the skills, training, or experience
required by employers. Others argue that employers do not value the education of firsttime
graduates. As a result, skilled labor correlates to the skill required for a job, not the
education of the worker. In looking at the relationship between education and the type of
employment, it is clear why first-time university graduates are experiencing long periods
of unemployment (over two years).
Over 32% of all university students are studying economics management, and law
and 21% are concentrating in social sciences. Among university graduates, the highest
unemployment rate is for graduates in economics, management, law, and social sciences
(over 43%). This is because the public sector remains the primary source of employment
opportunities for many of these graduates. However, only about fifteen percent of these
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