Like many Tunisian university graduates, Cherine Ghanmi believed a degree would offer her family a way out of poverty.
asserted
degree → believe → poverty
Growing up in the marginalised town of al-Mazzunah, in the central Sidi Bou Zid governorate, Ghanmi had walked 5km (3.1 miles) to the school her parents struggled to put her through.
asserted
parents → grow → her
They hoped she would eventually find a job and support them financially, easing their burden after years of sacrifice.
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she → hop → sacrifice
But more than a decade after graduating in 2012, she remains unemployed.
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she → graduate → 2012
Instead of supporting her parents, she says, she continues to rely on them.
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she → support → them
“We studied and graduated believing we had finally found a way out of poverty,” she said.
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she → study → poverty
“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.”
uncertain
them → think → sacrifices
“Unfortunately, reality was a big shock for us,” she added.
asserted
she → add → us
“Instead of helping them, we have burdened them even more.”
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we → help → them
For Ghanmi and thousands of other unemployed university graduates, the struggle to find work has become a symbol of Tunisia’s wider economic crisis, marked by limited opportunities, mounting financial pressure and growing frustration with successive governments.
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struggle → find → governments
The ‘Dignity March’
On September 27, unemployed university graduates began a roughly 300km (186-mile) march from Menzel Bouzaiane in central Tunisia towards the capital, Tunis, to demand jobs and the implementation of legislation intended to provide a clear path to public-sector employment.
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graduates → begin → employment
Known as the “Dignity March”, it began with 23 participants, according to organisers.
uncertain
it → know → organisers
More graduates joined along the route, with the coordinating committee later estimating that the number had grown to more than 120.
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number → join → 120
Participants paused at points because of exhaustion and injuries before continuing towards the capital.
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Participants → pause → capital
On October 6, police blocked the group from moving forward in the town of Borj Cedria, south of Tunis.
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police → block → Tunis
Participants said they were told they could travel individually, but not as a group.
uncertain
they → say → group
The marchers had hoped to reach the Tunis suburb of Carthage, where the presidential palace is located, to press their demands.
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palace → hop → demands
For Ghanmi, “the Dignity March was not just a march”, she said, describing it as an expression of the hardship and disappointment experienced by graduates who had spent years searching for work.
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who → say → work
Many protesters say they have waited years for promises of public-sector recruitment to translate into real opportunities.
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promises → say → opportunities
Their demands came amid broader discontent over Tunisia’s economic and political direction.
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demands → come → direction
On October 17, thousands gathered in Tunis to protest against President Kais Saied’s government, deteriorating living conditions and restrictions on freedoms.
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thousands → gather → freedoms
The demonstration, led by the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), opposition groups and civil society organisations, was among the largest against Saied in years.
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demonstration → lead → years
Participants voiced frustration over unemployment and the difficulties many households face in meeting their basic needs.
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households → voice → needs
Saied, who has concentrated power since 2021, has presented his political project as a response to corruption and the failures of the established political class.
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who → concentrate → class
Critics say the concentration of power has weakened democratic checks and balances while doing little to resolve the country’s economic problems.
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concentration → say → problems
Stalled promises
The unemployment figures reflect the scale of the challenge.
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figures → stall → challenge
According to Tunisia’s National Institute of Statistics (INS), the overall unemployment rate stood at 14.9 percent in the second quarter of 2026.
uncertain
rate → accord → 2026
The rate for women graduates was 35.6 percent, compared with 14.2 percent for men.
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rate → compare → men
Among those aged 15 to 24, unemployment reached 35.4 percent.
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unemployment → age → percent
“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,” Cherif Khraifi, spokesperson for the Tunisian Union of Higher Education Graduates, told Al Jazeera.
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Khraifi → succeed → Jazeera
“Their biggest concern was ensuring they stayed in power.”
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they → ensure → power
Attempts to address graduate unemployment have repeatedly raised expectations.
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Attempts → address → expectations
The 2022 Law No. 38 intended to establish an employment pathway for long-term unemployed university graduates, but the law’s implementation stalled amid financial constraints.
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implementation → intend → constraints
Khraifi said measures intended to address the crisis have too often served as “tools for letting off steam” rather than resolving the problem.
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measures → say → problem
The 2025 Law No. 18 provides for the exceptional recruitment of long-term unemployed university graduates into the public sector and civil service.
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No → provide → sector
It calls for a digital platform to register eligible applicants and sets out criteria for prioritising candidates.
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It → call → candidates
Recruitment is to take place in phases over no more than three years from the law’s publication.
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Recruitment → take → publication
The law was dated 22 December 2025 and published in Tunisia’s Official Gazette on 23 December 2025, when it entered into force.
asserted
it → date → force
Article 6 provides for recruitment in phases over a period not exceeding three years from the date of publication.
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Article → provide → publication
The graduates taking part in the Dignity March have demanded a clear process for implementing the law, including practical arrangements and a timetable for recruitment.
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graduates → take → recruitment
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia
