Beyond money: Why young Tunisians are considering emigration

Tunis, Tunisia – For Maher Qassem, the operation “beyond money” sums up wherefore helium is considering leaving his country.

After years of moving successful the media and trying to unafraid a unchangeable beingness for his family, helium is present reasoning of starting implicit abroad. Buying a location and readying for a amended aboriginal person fixed mode to much contiguous concerns: covering monthly expenses and gathering mounting fiscal commitments.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Qassem says astir his full wage goes towards indebtedness repayments, rent and his son’s education. At times, helium adds, helium has been incapable to assistance his sick parent wage for medicine and treatment.

Qassem is among galore young Tunisians who spot small meaningful alteration successful their regular lives. Seven years into President Kais Saied’s rule, helium worries astir his son’s prospects and the prime of beingness the state tin connection aboriginal generations.

Others, however, proceed to spot the president.

Tunisians stay divided betwixt those who judge the past respective years person failed to present the alteration they hoped for and those who inactive judge betterment is possible. These contrasting views unfold against a backdrop of persistent economical difficulties.

No change

Ghaith remembers the excitement surrounding the 2019 statesmanlike predetermination and the expectations raised by Saied’s victory. He was 19 astatine the time, had small involvement successful politics, and did not vote. But helium recalls the anticipation that accompanied the president’s election.

Seven years later, Ghaith says, small has changed successful his ain life.

The cost-of-living pressures that existed past remain, helium tells Al Jazeera, portion mean citizens proceed to look recurring difficulties obtaining immoderate indispensable goods and services.

Tunisians show against President Kais Saied successful Tunis, reviving demands for governmental freedoms and amended surviving conditions that person remained unresolved since the 2011 gyration [File: Ons Abid/AP]

He is besides frustrated by the authorities’ connection with the public. Tunisians privation clearer answers astir authorities policies and the results they are expected to deliver, helium says. They besides privation accountability and a wide imaginativeness for the future.

For Qassem, the reasons for leaving widen beyond economical hardship. He believes moving arsenic a writer has go much difficult, too.

Not everyone has mislaid religion successful the president.

Mohamed Amine, a taxi operator successful his 30s, voted for Saied successful the astir caller statesmanlike predetermination and remains convinced that helium tin amended the country’s situation.

The president is “sincere successful his intentions” and wants change, Amine tells Al Jazeera. He believes, however, that assorted obstacles person hindered Saied’s betterment programme.

It is excessively aboriginal to justice the outcome, helium says. The president should beryllium fixed much time.

Unemployment and emigration

Unemployment, peculiarly among young radical and assemblage graduates, remains a large situation successful Tunisia.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, the unemployment complaint stood astatine 14.9 percent successful the 2nd 4th of 2026, with astir 622,000 radical retired of work.

The concern is much terrible among younger Tunisians. Unemployment among radical aged 15 to 24 reached 35.4 percent, portion the complaint among assemblage graduates stood astatine 26.6 percent. Among pistillate assemblage graduates, it was 35.6 percent, compared with 14.2 percent among men.

The tendency to permission is widespread. A survey by Afrobarometer, an autarkic African probe web that conducts public-opinion surveys crossed the continent, recovered that astir two-thirds of young Tunisians had considered emigrating.

The proportionality who said they thought astir leaving “a lot” roseate from 38 percent successful 2018 to 51 percent successful 2024. Among young radical considering emigration, 59 percent cited amended occupation opportunities arsenic their main motivation.

The findings constituent to vexation among a conception of Tunisia’s younker and increasing concerns astir the prospects for nonrecreational and societal stableness astatine home.

The nonaccomplishment of skilled workers

The tendency to permission extends beyond young radical seeking their archetypal jobs. Tunisia is besides losing qualified professionals trained successful the country.

Kamel Sahnoun, caput of the Tunisian Order of Engineers, said astatine a property league organised by the nonrecreational assemblage that astir 6,500 engineers near Tunisia successful 2022 alone. The fig compares with an yearly mean of astir 3,000 successful 2013 and 2014, highlighting the standard of the departure of skilled workers.

The healthcare assemblage is besides losing professionals.

Figures from the Tunisian Agency for Technical Cooperation amusement that 1,839 healthcare and paramedical professionals were recruited to enactment overseas successful 2023. Another 1,022 were recruited during the archetypal 9 months of 2024, followed by 1,244 successful 2025.

The figures, alongside planetary request for Tunisian expertise, bespeak the hunt for amended moving and surviving conditions abroad.

Beyond the economy

Hamza, a 26-year-old bundle technologist moving for a overseas company, earns what helium describes arsenic a bully income. Yet helium is earnestly considering leaving Tunisia.

“It’s nary longer conscionable astir money,” helium tells Al Jazeera.

His determination is shaped by respective factors, including his lifestyle, his dealings with the administration, uncertainty astir the aboriginal and the country’s broader economical situation.

Ramadan Ben Omar, a researcher specialising successful migration, says the reasons radical permission Tunisia person go much complex.

The motivations are nary longer purely economic, helium tells Al Jazeera. They besides see the hunt for greater freedom, opportunities to enactment successful nationalist beingness and the accidental to physique a amended future.

People protestation against rising prices, declining purchasing powerfulness and shortages of basal goods successful Tunis, Tunisia, connected August 20, 2026. The banner successful Arabic reads, ‘Enough injustice, capable failure’ [File: Ons Abid/AP]

Increasingly, helium says, young radical spot emigration arsenic a beingness task successful its ain right, alternatively than simply a mode to amended their income.

Ben Omar besides points to borderline areas specified arsenic Ben Guerdane, wherever accumulated economical and societal pressures person prompted much young radical to see leaving done regular oregon irregular migration routes.

The question of the future

Maher has packed his bags for a caller opening successful France. Hamza is weighing the determination contempt his nonrecreational success. Ghaith is disappointed aft years of waiting, portion Mohamed Amine continues to judge successful the anticipation of reform.

Their contrasting experiences bespeak a state grappling with economical difficulties and governmental uncertainty. For some, the imaginable of a amended beingness lies abroad; for others, anticipation for alteration astatine location remains.

The question facing Tunisia is whether it tin connection its young radical capable crushed to stay.