TRANSITIONING FROM DIPLOMA TO EMPLOYMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR TUNISIAN HIGHER EDUCATION GRADUATES
Authors: Fatima Ben Mahmoud
Published: June 2024
Abstract
<p>The transition from an elitist education system to massification, often likened to the McDonaldization of higher education, has significantly impacted the professional insertion of Tunisian graduates. This transition has led to a substantial increase in student enrollment, with the student population surging from 96,101 in 1993 to a staggering 336,017 in 2010. Similarly, the number of graduates seeking to enter the labor market has followed this upward trajectory, rising from 11,654 in 1993 to 86,035 in 2010 [1]. However, the rapid expansion of the higher education system has given rise to a fundamental challenge: the labor market's inability to absorb the influx of highly qualified graduates. This, in turn, has resulted in alarmingly high unemployment rates among higher education graduates. In 1997, unemployment affected 17,100 higher education graduates, a figure that grew to encompass 66,200 graduates in 2005 and a staggering 160,000 in 2010. The massification of higher education not only exacerbates the issue of unemployment among graduates but also poses a significant qualitative concern in terms of their labor market insertion. This paper seeks to delve into this qualitative dimension by focusing on the phenomenon of over-education. Over-education occurs when the skills acquired during education significantly exceed the requirements of the job market, and it has become increasingly prevalent in recent years.</p>
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