Hafedh Laâmouri, former Minister of Employment and former CEO of the CNSS, warned that without intervention and reforms, Tunisia may no longer have a functioning social security system within the next thirty years.
Speaking to Express FM on Thursday, January 22, 2026, Laâmouri explained that the social security system has been running a deficit since 1993.
He stressed the need for deep, long-term reforms over 20–30 years to stop the financial haemorrhage and truly initiate the reform process.
He noted that while the Ministry of Social Affairs has begun some reforms and the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) has a financial surplus, it has been unable to meet its obligations due to a lack of liquidity.
Meanwhile, the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) and the National Retirement and Social Welfare Fund (CNRPS) have not made their contributions to CNAM.
The labor law expert added that these two funds suffer from major deficits, particularly the CNSS, and warned that 2026 must be the year of structural reform, or the situation will worsen.
He also highlighted the lack of reserves for pension payments, calling this situation “concerning” in the event of a crisis, while noting that the state remains the guarantor of pensions and social benefits, which does not remove the urgency of reforms.
Difficult Solutions to Implement
Regarding possible solutions to improve the situation of the CNRPS, Laâmouri said recruiting 300,000 public servants is unrealistic. He also called raising the contribution rate from 23.7% to 35% “unrealistic and unfeasible.”
He emphasized that increasing contributions is also rejected in the current economic context, especially in the private sector, where companies are already heavily burdened by taxes and social charges.
He also discussed proposals to raise the retirement age in the private sector, warning that this could negatively affect an already high unemployment rate. While this measure has been adopted in several countries, he argued it is not the most appropriate solution for Tunisia at present.
The former Employment Minister stressed that reforms must be adapted to the country’s economic reality and proposed a set of concrete measures.
Proposed Measures and Reforms
Laâmouri called for merging the CNSS and CNRPS into a single fund called the “Pension Fund,” asserting that such a merger could generate a significant financial surplus.
Regarding CNAM, he stressed the need for genuine reforms, starting with rehabilitating the public health sector by modernizing hospitals and reducing the fund’s expenditures, noting that healthcare costs in the public sector are lower than in the private sector.
He also proposed revising the “Labès” card to include new data, such as a maximum spending limit and the patient’s medical history, to rationalize costs.
