46,000 engineers leave Tunisia in ten years, raising concerns about brain drain
via Business News5 min read
Tunisia has seen a significant exodus of its engineering talent, with 46,000 engineers leaving the country over the past decade. This figure, provided by Dean Mohsen Gharsi, represents nearly 44% of the approximately 105,000 engineers registered with the Order of Engineers. This sustained outflow of technical and scientific expertise is particularly concerning for a country where engineering is vital for industry, energy, infrastructure, digital development, and innovation. The phenomenon has accelerated since 2014, driven by factors such as attractive international recruitment, higher salaries abroad, better working conditions, and more favorable career prospects. The peak year for this migration was 2022, when 6,700 engineers departed, averaging about twenty departures per day. While initially affecting young graduates, there's a growing trend of experienced engineers, some with 25 years of expertise, also choosing to leave. This is considered more impactful due to the loss of accumulated knowledge, leadership capabilities, and deep sectoral understanding. Mohsen Gharsi emphasizes that this migration has economic, developmental, technological, and strategic implications, potentially hindering the country's ability to undertake new industrial projects, modernize infrastructure, support energy and digital transitions, enhance corporate competitiveness, and keep pace with global technological changes. He has called for a ministerial council to address the issue, advocating for
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