Talks between State Secretary Yasmin Fahimi and Sayida Ounissi, her Tunisian counterpart from the Ministry of Vocational Training and Employment, focused on the challenges in the fight against youth unemployment in Tunisia and the importance of a good vocational training system. After the talks, State Secretary Fahimi made the following statement: It is impressive how committed the Tunisian Government is to actively combating youth unemployment. We are glad to be able to support them in this process.
During the talks State Secretary Fahimi spoke in favour of the involvement of the social partners from business and unions, pointing out the positive experience Germany has had with the social dialogue between these groups - especially with regard to the current positive labour market situation in Germany. The talks followed the bilateral exchange of ideas in the framework of the German-Tunisian intergovernmental consultations, which took place in May in Tunis. State Secretary Ounissi is also meeting with other Federal Government representatives during her visit to Germany.
In December 2010, the Jasmine Revolution, as it was called, began in Tunisia. Since then, a transformation process has begun there, which also aims to improve the employment situation in the country, thus stabilising the overall political situation. Tunisia is facing the challenge of integrating a large number of young and well-educated academics into the labour market and aligning vocational training with the actual needs of the labour market. The Tunisian Government has launched several reforms. High unemployment is one of the biggest challenges of the Tunisian Republic.