Tunisia-Chkoundali: “Increase in wages over last 13 years was estimated at 16 billion dinars, equivalent to entire 2010 budget.”

Economist Ridha Chkoundali remarked on the delay in the submission of the final report by the Public Service Investigation Committee. The committee was anticipated to finish its work within two months from the beginning of its duties, with the report due to be submitted to the President of the Republic by January 20, 2024. Nevertheless, as of today, the report has not been presented.

Speaking to Tunisie Numérique, Chkoundali referred to data from the Supreme Institute of Statistics, citing a notable increase in public service employment. In 2010, the number of public service workers, excluding those in local groups, public institutions, and establishments, was about 435,000. By 2022, this number had increased to about 637,000, marking an upsurge of about 202,000 employees over 12 years, or an average annual increase of approximately 17,000 employees.

This peak in employment led to a surge in public sector salary expenditure, rising from 6.8 billion dinars in 2010 to 22.8 billion dinars in 2023, an increase of 16 billion dinars in just 13 years. This increment is equal to the total 2010 budget, which was about 16.7 billion dinars. He underscored that despite this important expenditure, there has been no corresponding improvement in the quality of social services, including health, education, and transportation. The quality of these services has declined, adversely impacting the purchasing power of Tunisian citizens, especially the middle class.

Furthermore, he stressed that the growth in public sector wages has not been accompanied by substantial economic growth. He mentioned 2012 as a year characterised by a surge in secondments to public jobs, totalling around 80,000, some of which were arbitrary, implicating forged certificates or party loyalties. He likewise mentioned that certain influential unions manipulated the social and administrative chaos to try to control the administration, bypassing national debates.

He also underlined the negative effect of a poor business climate, marked by social unrest and demands for accountability among businessmen. This environment has hampered investors and led to a fall in private investment, which could have bolstered the state and created employment opportunities. Accordingly, he asserts the need to hold all violators accountable.”

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