According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics, the unemployment rate fell in late August 2012, reaching 17% against 18.9% in November 2011.
The number of unemployed people fell from 738,000 in early 2012 to 665,000 at the end of August 2012, following the creation of 72,000 additional jobs in the private sector during the period between November 2011 and August 2012, excluding recruitment in the public service and public institutions under the year 2012, which will provide 31,500 jobs, i.e. total job creations of around 100,000.
Regarding university graduates, the results show a 34.2% decline in the rate of unemployment during the first quarter of 2012 to 32.7% during the third quarter, i.e. about 217,000 in August 2012, while the rate among females remains high at 46.6%.
Concerning the unemployment rate by region, it stands at 16.6% in Greater Tunis, at 10.7% in the Northeast, at 19.7% in the North West, at 12.1% in the Central East, at 23.9% in the Central West, at 26.6% in the Southeast and at 25.2% in the Southwest.
