President of Tunisia Reiterates Commitment to Implementing Social Policy and Combating Corruption
On Monday, April 27, Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed presided over a meeting at the Carthage Palace to discuss the country's social dossier. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri and ministers of Finance, Social Affairs, and Employment.
Social Salary Increases and Job Creation
The meeting focused on the implementation of salary increases outlined in the 2026 Finance Law and accelerating the recruitment of long-term unemployed individuals. According to a statement from the Presidential Palace, the meeting is part of the follow-up to Article 15, which provides for annual salary increases in both the public and private sectors, as well as pension increases, over the period 2026-2028.
Urgent Social Issue
The meeting comes at a time when social pressures related to purchasing power have reached a particularly sensitive level. The measures to revalue salaries and pensions over the period 2026-2028 are a direct response to the deterioration of living conditions for households. This urgent social issue is confirmed by a recent study published in March 2026 by the Arab Institute of Business Leaders (IACE), which shows that household debt in Tunisia is no longer a temporary phenomenon, but a structural crisis. Fuelled by budget fragility, the lack of social protection mechanisms, and the erosion of purchasing power, it affects a wide range of the population and directly impacts family living conditions.
Tunisia's Debt and Budget Fragility
Between 2014 and 2024, the average gross disposable income per capita in Tunisia increased only marginally, from 1,512 to 1,568 dinars, representing a 3.7% increase over ten years. Meanwhile, the average financial debt per capita has increased significantly, from 1,619 to 2,686 dinars, representing a 65.9% growth. This structural gap between stagnant incomes and rapid debt accumulation has led the budget fragility rate to increase from 107% in 2014 to around 171% in 2024, a level far above the internationally recognized viability threshold (40%), according to the same source.
Digital Platform for Job Creation
President Saïed instructed the completion of the implementation of a digital platform dedicated to the recruitment of long-term unemployed individuals, emphasizing the need to base these recruitments on criteria of "justice and equity." In line with this general orientation aimed at strengthening transparency and efficiency in recruitment mechanisms, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mondher Belaïd, has already announced the upcoming launch of the recruitment process for 1,350 PhD holders in Tunisia. This announcement was made during a plenary session held on Monday, April 27, dedicated to oral questions in Parliament.
Criticism of Past Recruitment Practices
President Saïed seized the opportunity to denounce an abnormal situation within the Tunisian administration. He strongly criticized unjustified and fictitious recruitments carried out in the past based on partisan allegiance, pointing out parties that have taken the state as a "spoils" and power as a source of "privileges," accusing them of seeking to exacerbate the situation with the aim of destabilizing the country.
Polarization of Recruitment in the Public Sector
Recall that in the post-revolutionary context of 2011, our country embarked on a transition phase marked by strong social expectations, particularly in terms of employment and social justice. The public sector was mobilized as the main lever for absorbing unemployment and responding to popular demands, before becoming the subject of growing criticism over the years.
According to a study by the Tunisian Observatory of the Economy ("2008-2016: Evolution of hiring in the public sector"), public employment has experienced three distinct phases: an average of 7,500 annual recruitments before 2011, a significant increase between 2011 and 2013 with approximately 22,200 recruitments per year, and a significant slowdown from 2014, marked by a near-suspension of recruitments and a reduction in staff in 2015, in a context of economic adjustments and commitments with international lenders.
Some analyses estimate that a portion of the recruitments between 2011 and 2013 concerned beneficiaries of the general amnesty, with around 30% of new recruits from this category, some of whom already had stable incomes, sparking criticism of the fairness of the process. In parallel, nominations to sensitive positions have also been contested, with some functions being attributed to profiles deemed insufficiently experienced, which would have weakened the functioning of the administration.
Commitment to National Sovereignty and Revolution Objectives
However, let's be clear, when competence criteria give way to partisan allegiance, the entire state apparatus is weakened. Today, we are still assuming the consequences, namely the decline of state institutions since 2011.
In the face of this situation, the President of the Republic reaffirmed his commitment to national sovereignty and the objectives of the revolution, namely employment, freedom, and national dignity, emphasizing that the Tunisian people is perfectly aware of the maneuvers being plotted behind the scenes.
Conclusion
Through the announced decisions, including the implementation of salary increases outlined in the 2026 Finance Law, the acceleration of recruitment of long-term unemployed individuals via a digital platform based on criteria of justice and equity, and the strengthening of transparency in public recruitment management, the Head of State aims to drive a social and administrative recovery dynamic. These measures reflect the will to respond to purchasing power emergencies while reaffirming a public management model based on equity, responsibility, and a break with past practices.
