Yesterday, I found these really interesting numbers about Tunisian emigration on Zizou from Djerba‘s blog.
– 80% of Tunisian youth would like to emigrate.
– 80.000 to 100.000 Tunisian youth leave Tunisia each year (Some come back of course).
– 25 to 35% of Tunisians abroad are jobless.
According to statistics from 2003, the number of Tunisians abroad is 850,000. 6000 of them are students.
Even though these numbers might not be 100% accurate, I do believe that they are pretty close to reality and I think they’re very interesting.
I’m sure numbers like these are reflected throughout the Arab world with only slight differences.
A common idea between Arab youth nowadays is that the only solution to a better life is to emigrate. The choice of countries to emigrate to depends on the country of departure, for example in French speaking North Africa the most popular destinations are France and Quebec (Canada), in the Middle East it’s more like Canada, USA, New Zealand…etc.
But it’s not always true that a better life awaits these emigrants. As numbers show, a lot of them end up jobless and on the streets.
Still some are able to build great lives, that’s true too.
It all depends. It’s pretty risky.
I think the whole issue of emigration is a very sensitive one. It’s a shame when some of the best minds in the country as well as its youth find themselves tempted to leave. It’s a big loss for the country. But still I do understand how some of them feel.
80% is a lot ! Is living in Tunisia that bad ? I’ve never been there but I never hear horrible things either. Is it the grass greener on the other side of the fence effect ? Is it the false promises of happyness in the western countries, carried by most of the medias the origin ?
I admit that many youths I met in latin America or in the Arab world dreamt of living in the US. I usually convinced them to rethink their idea if they were not intending to go studying there (there are always exceptions for sure).
However I don’t discourage at all the idea to travel and go see how it is, but leaving everything behind thinking you’re going to a better world is a mistake. Finally France is probably a better place (totally biased opinion inside, but I lived in both countries) than the US even if they do not treat their illegal immigration nicely, getting social protection for free is something doable there.
I am really interrested by what would push 80% of a generation to want to emigrate.
few raisons might be interesting to underline :
globalization increased the need of people to travel and to live abroad…leaving its country to spend sometime abroad to gain experience and to improve its skills seem to be very natural nowadays.
a large part of Tunisian youth are now well educated and the salaries that they can get in europe are very attractive to them.
the work market in Tunisia is actually full and job offers are lacking.
i think that tunisians want to emigrate to have the opportunity to improve their life standards and to gain more experiences.
i also think that emigration doesn’t have to be perceived only from the negative side , it participate to the development of the regions and to the economy of the country.
Actually, it’s not about life being bad, as Tunisia is a lot better than so many places in the world, it’s just about youth believing that they can have a better life outside.
It’s the promise of happiness and success in the western countries that they get through the media.
Yeah, I can see how immigrating to a Western country is tempting. Ideally, it would be nice to get the education from better universities and then return back to your home country and contribute to it. But that’s super easy for me to say, isn’t it? 😛
Although, I have no problems with people from different countries coming to the US. I think it keeps things interesting and fun.
Zizou, I am actually exactly in the situation you describe: high education, low chances to get a job matching my formation in my origin country, higher salaries abroad, getting the traveling experience in a global economy world.
I do not percieve emigration negatively (au contraire), I am just surprised by such a great percentage ready to move and am unsure it is all for those reasons (high education and bad employment rates push people to move but only a small proportion is actually willing to do it from my experience). Note that I have no idea how bad or good is employment rate in Tunisia.
Jenn I agree 100%, meeting people from all around the world is a fantastic experience. I had many friends coming from abroad to study in France and that didn’t want to come back after their studies, I actually didnt meet any that was planning to return (and there was probably 20% of foreign students in my dorm).
MMM, that is what frightens me in this.
Zizou, I agree with you that emigration shouldn’t just be looked at from a negative point of view. There are a lot of good sides to it too for both the country and the emigr
Well, I think the reasons are mostly economic but also linked to the quality of life in general ( healthcare, education, justice…)
As a tunisian immigrant, I can’t just immagine that even with a good salary, I cannot read the newspaper I want, watch the movie that I like
or say anything I want.
And additionally beeing trapped because I need a f.. visa to go to any country.
Or even for my children, I would like to give them the best education and culture.
I don’t say that the arabic culture is bad, but in countries like Tunisia it lacks some very basic things (freedom of expression for ex.) that are essential to build a ‘normal’ personality.
In developped countries, conflicts are solved throught discussion, articles and debates…so things go better, and every generation try to improve what its parents did build (European Union is a good example). Parents give the new generation the confidence to do better, and gives them the instruments to do it.
In Tunisia, there is a true conflict of generations: parents don’t talk with their children but give orders.
If there is a conflict, it’s not solved objectively but with emotions.
It’s normal then that youngs don’t feel any confidence given to them and try to escape. This ‘paternalistic’ way of thinking is what is blocking the whole situation.
This will never end until there is a true debate between generations, but also within the society.
I can absolutely relate to your comments about the conflicts between our generation and that of our parents’.
Having come to America after the Vietnam War as refugees, my parents are still very old-fashioned and conservative. I, on the other hand, was born and raised as an American, so every once in awhile we’ll have big clashes as to what we think is right and wrong. Now, that I’m 24, they still nag and are always ordering me around (even telling when to sleep at night!). Giving me advice that is absolutely not wanted, and lecturing about how I should be living my life. I’m sure in Vietnam, that would be all fine and dandy, but because I was exposed to American culture, they drove me away where I moved out of the house at a pretty early age. Let’s just say, they nagged me enough where they drove me to go all the way to France for a long while. 😛 j/k It wasn’t entirely because of them, just partially.
But yeah, my point is that when someone has seen or experienced even a little bit of the freedoms of Western culture, and then have some old ways forced on them at home, you can’t help but choose the less restrictive life. At least, that’s how I see it with my own life.
the real big shame is that their countries do nothing to retain them but also do a lot to make them go…
@ Anis : I totally agree !
(bravo ! Y
the real big shame is that their countries not only do nothing to keep them but also do a lot to make them go…