More and more young Tunisians are leaving or dreaming of leaving their country at any cost.
Sociologists believe that the causes of this phenomenon are multiple, and are mainly related to the fact that young people feel bad in their country, and do not find answers to their concerns.
Tunisia’s economic difficulties, unemployment, unequal development of regions, social injustice have created conditions conducive to the migration of young people to European countries.
According to data recently unveiled by the Office of Tunisians Abroad (OTE), an increase in the brain drain was recorded between 2000 and 2011; 60% of Tunisians who left for training preferred to stay abroad (from 4421 in 2000 to 7243 executives in 2011).
During the same period, 347 agents of the security forces and armed forces settled after the Revolution in Qatar, the only country that recruits security units, said the same source.
Official statistics show that the number of Tunisians living abroad is 1,424,386, or 12% of the total Tunisian population (the Tunisian population therefore amounts to 11,444,409 Tunisians in 2017), compared with 3% in 2011.
It’s not over!
A recent study by the US Pew Research Center concludes that 24% of Tunisians surveyed intend to leave the country in the next 5 years.
Indeed 70% of Tunisians have already collected useful information for their departure abroad, 54% of them have saved the expenses of emigration while 52% have applied for obtaining a passport or visa for this fact, notes the same source.
76% plan to leave for better job opportunities, 66% to join their family members and 79% for better education.
These figures indeed require serious reaction from the government and responsible parties, through at least the opening of a dialogue on the issue and the establishment of a comprehensive strategy to search for solutions and remedy the situation!
It is also recalled that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported in 2017 that after the revolution, 94,000 Tunisian skills have left the country, 84% of which are in Europe.
Most of them are researchers, businessmen, doctors and academics.
According to the same source, only 7% of medical students going abroad return to Tunisia.
Medical students are not the only ones who dream of emigration, as 8,000 executives, 1,200 businessmen, 1464 teachers have already left the country in 2014-2015.
The reasons for this brain drain are essentially of a financial nature!
These skilled migrants are paid 5 to 10 times better abroad. In addition, the budget for scientific research has dropped, which does not encourage researchers to stay in the country.
Hence, Tunisia ranks second among Arab countries exporting competences, just behind Syria.
