The Mediterranean tourism sector is facing profound changes in its labor market. For Tunisia, the adaptation of skills, the enhancement of professions and the improvement of working conditions are essential levers to strengthen the competitiveness of the destination and ensure the sustainability of its tourist model.
La Presse -Mediterranan tourism is now at a strategic turn. If the performance in terms of tourist arrivals testifies to the economic weight of the sector, a structural difficulty is gradually imposed on professionals: having a qualified workforce, sufficiently large and able to meet the new requirements of customers.
Behind the progression of tourist flows is thus a less visible reality, that of a job market under tension, confronted both with staff shortages and skills gaps.
This problem was highlighted by Ahlem Amri, Technical Manager of Regional Skills and Mobility of the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s Thamm Plus program, during his presentation on the « Socio-economic Challenges of Tourism in the Mediterranean ». Through her analysis of the first needs for professions and skills in the Tourism Hotel and Catering (THR) sector, she underlined the importance of a better alignment between tourism development ambitions and the real capacities of human resources. In 2025, Tunisia welcomed more than 11 million visitors, compared to 19.8 million for Morocco and about 19 million for Egypt. These performances confirm the importance of tourism in national economies and
its role in creating income, jobs and related activities.
A work market under tension
However, as Ahlem Amri’s analysis shows, the increase in arrivals does not automatically guarantee an improvement in productivity, quality of services or employment conditions. The competitiveness of a destination also depends on the quality of its human capital, the qualification of its professionals and its ability to offer a tourist experience that meets international standards.
Recruitment difficulties are now a major concern for tourism companies, both in Europe and in the Mediterranean. The data presented by Ms. Amri for France and Italy show that the accommodation and catering sector has higher rates of vacancies than those observed in the economy as a whole.
In France, this rate went from 5.9% in 2019 to 4.3% in 2023, compared to 2.4% and 3% respectively for all economic sectors. In Italy, it increased from 1.6% to 2.2% over the same period. These indicators illustrate the persistence of recruitment tensions in an industry that generates significant labour needs.
Based on the results of the European survey presented, Ms. Amri also highlighted the extent of the phenomenon: 92% of respondents report a chronic shortage of staff, while 61% identify the lack of attractiveness of working conditions as an important factor in recruitment difficulties. The skills and qualifications deficit, competition from other sectors.
For Amri, these difficulties refer to a multidimensional problem that cannot be solved by the mere increase in the number of people trained. They also reflect a difficulty in attracting and retaining workers in professions often characterized by restrictive schedules, high work intensity and sometimes limited development prospects.
The question of the quality of employment thus becomes inseparable from that of the economic performance of the sector. By addressing the Tunisian situation, Ahlem Amri presented the first results of the online survey carried out among employers as part of the collaboration between the Tunisian Hospitality Federation (FTH) and the < Thamm Plus program.
The figures are revealing: the lack of qualifications or the insufficiency of the level of training comes at the head of the declared difficulties, with 79% of the answers.
The lack of candidates and strong competition represent 75%, while 58% of the respondents evoke the insufficiency of technical skills. Low geographical mobility is also reported by 37.5% of employers.
Invest more in skills
Through these first results, it highlights a lag between the profiles available on the labor market and the expectations of companies. This situation raises in particular the question of the effectiveness of vocational training schemes and their ability to prepare young people and job seekers for the operational realities of tourist establishments.
For professionals, having a diploma does not necessarily mean being operational. The mastery of service techniques, cooking, reception, reception or service management must be accompanied by linguistic, relational and digital skills.
