Determinants of unemployment duration for young men and women in Tunisia

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of individual characteristics (gender, age, education level, and marital status) and regional influences on unemployment duration of young in Tunisia using data from the Panel Study of Tunisia Labor Market 2014 (TLMPS 2014). The Kaplan-Meier estimates of the survival function are presented (used) to analyze the determinants of unemployment duration. Results point (out) significant differences between men and women in the difficulty of getting a first job. These differences consist mainly in the following points. First, education appears as a highly positive factor in reducing the duration of unemployment, particularly for women. Second, the rural – urban gap continues to be significant in this context. Third, residents of regions with higher unemployment rates, all else equal, have longer duration of unemployment. In all regions, women have relatively longer duration of unemployment. Fourth, the unemployed persons from the age group 25-30 years have a higher probability of remaining unemployed. Fifth, married women have significantly longer duration than married men before finding jobs. These results may be useful and can improve the implementation of adequate policies on the Labor market of Tunisia by identifying vulnerable groups of persons that look for employment.