News/Reports
The results from a survey of 1,200 informal workers in Tunisia are now available as part of GFI's Tunisian Inclusive Labor Initiative (TILI). The survey was administered by GFI along with local partners: the Tunisian Association for Management and Social Stability (TAMSS), Partners for Democratic Change (PDC) and Tunisian survey firm ISTIS. The survey was conducted in six regions throughout Tunisia: Tunis, El Kef, Kasserine, Gafsa, Sfax, and Mednine.
The full report, in its original French, can be found on the TAMSS website here.
Or, read the full report translated into English here.
Learn more about the TILI Project here.
Main Survey Findings
Demographics of Informal Workers:
- 66.2% are men, 33.8% are women
- 37.2% are less than 30 years old
- More than two-thirds (72.42%) of households of informal workers earn an average monthly income of 300DT. 25.67% of households are comprised of four individuals and 22.78% are comprised of five.
- 51.5% have at most a primary education, 11.3% have at most some University education, 32% (one third) have a qualifications diploma
Previous and Current Employment Situation:
- 51.3% were previously employed prior to starting their current informal work, 67.4% of those were previously employed in the informal sector
- Half of those who are between 20 and 29 are looking for another job
- Among those who are looking for another job, 76.5% want a job with social security
Attitudes and Experiences of Informal Workers:
- 95.77% of employees have no employment contract
- 98.2% say that overtime is not paid
- 16.17% have the right to day offs and rest
- 48.4% choose to working informally because of a need for money, 49.18% say working informally is a personal choice and they lack of access to better jobs.
- 61.12% think that their skill sets and training do not match their current work
- 19% of the surveyed population benefits from the state social programs
- 30% say they do not expect anything from the government
- 80% believe that the current situation in Tunisia is incomprehensible and questionable, 12% have confidence in the future
Procedures, Legislation and Administrative Services:
- 68.6% of informal workers have no information on government work programs
- 90% of informal workers do not know the steps to formalize their activities
- More than 90% of the surveyed population has no information on minimum wage, labor contracts and labor other rights
- Only 12% are aware of the procedures and steps to join social security
- 21% of independents say they are interested in formalizing but do not know procedures, 26% have never thought of the possibility
- 90% of independents that do not have a license have not tried to register because they feel that their activities do not require a license (59%) or because they do not want to pay taxes (16.7 %)
- The main factors encouraging formalization are: access to finance, lower tax costs and assistance for registration, while bureaucracy (36.2%) and nepotism (33.4%) are considered major barriers to formalization
| File | Description | File size |
|---|---|---|
 TILI Survey Final Report | June 2013 | 3380 kB |
The Global Fairness Initiative's Newsletters from 2014:| File | Description | File size |
|---|---|---|
| April 2014 Newsletter.pdf | 163 kB | |
| February 2014 Newsletter | 157 kB | |
| January 2014 Newsletter.pdf | 169 kB | |
| July 2014 Newsletter | 269 kB | |
| June 2014 Newsletter.pdf | 233 kB |
| File | Description | File size |
|---|---|---|
| April 2013 Newsletter.pdf | 409 kB | |
| February 2013 Newsletter.pdf | 304 kB | |
| January 2013 Newsletter.pdf | 287 kB | |
| March 2013 Newsletter.pdf | 271 kB | |
| May 2013 Newsletter.pdf | 263 kB | |
| October 2013 Nesletter | 150 kB |
| File | Description | File size |
|---|---|---|
| April 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 814 kB | |
| August 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 618 kB | |
| February 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 755 kB | |
| January 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 742 kB | |
| July 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 621 kB | |
| June 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 735 kB | |
| March 2012 Newletter-1.pdf | 563 kB | |
| May 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 736 kB | |
| November 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 420 kB | |
| October 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 397 kB | |
| September 2012 Newsletter-1.pdf | 344 kB |
