Tunisia is preparing to launch, during September 2026, a digital platform dedicated to labor management. The announcement was made on Sunday by the Minister of Social Affairs, Issam Lahmar, during the Tunisian delegation’s address at the 52nd session of the Arab Labour Conference, organized in Cairo from September 13 to 20.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Social Affairs, this new platform should constitute an important step in the digital transformation of the Tunisian administration, particularly in the interventions of labor inspectors.
A platform to strengthen labor inspection
The minister indicated that this digital platform will strengthen control and monitoring mechanisms in the field of labor, while contributing to the consolidation of the principles of decent work.
It should also enable precise and up-to-date statistics and social data on Tunisia’s social situation to be available.
These informations will help authorities to develop immediate or preventive intervention plans, depending on evolving needs and identified risks.
Digital transformation at the heart of the 2026-2030 plan
Issam Lahmar stressed that digital transformation is a strategic choice for Tunisia to modernize the economy and administration and to improve the competitiveness of enterprises.
Digitization is also presented as a lever for innovation, investment and job creation.
In this framework, the development plan 2026-2030 rests, according to the minister, on a new vision of structural economic and social transformation, taking into account national priorities as well as the principles of good governance and equitable distribution of wealth.
This approach should also strengthen the social role of the State within a participatory approach.
Artificial intelligence and protection of jobs
The Minister of Social Affairs affirmed that Tunisia is currently working on a forward-looking approach intended notably to prevent the negative effects that the development of artificial intelligence could have on jobs.
This orientation is part of a broader policy aimed at strengthening social justice, balanced development and social protection.
He also indicated that Tunisia intends to continue strengthening workers’ protection and guaranteeing their rights in the face of transformations taking place in the world of work.
A bill for the platform economy
Issam Lahmar recalled the work undertaken to update labor legislation to adapt it to new forms of employment and to international labor standards.
He specifically mentioned Convention No. 193 on decent work in the platform economy, adopted, according to information presented by the ministry, at the last session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva in June 2026.
In this context, the Ministry of Social Affairs conducted a study devoted to the national governance of the platform economy and digital trades.
This study aims in particular to provide a snapshot of this sector in Tunisia, which, according to the ministry, is experiencing an increase in the number of platforms and the number of workers operating there.
A bill has also been prepared to organize this sector and to guarantee decent work as well as the fundamental rights of workers on digital platforms.
A text to regulate telework in the private sector
The minister also announced the introduction of a bill devoted to organizing telework in the private sector.
Meanwhile, the ministry has completed several studies and prepared another bill concerning sectors considered to have promising employment potential.
These various texts are part of an effort to adapt the legal framework to the rapid transformations of the labor market and the emergence of new forms of professional activity.
Climate risks integrated into workplace safety
Tunisia is also working to integrate climate-change-related risks into the health and safety system at work.
According to Issam Lahmar, this orientation should be accompanied by the development of legislation and preventive policies to better protect workers against emerging climate risks.
The minister stressed that climate change now poses a threat to working conditions, notably due to global warming and its repercussions on workers’ health and safety.
These phenomena can also affect productivity and supply chains.
He thus called for strengthening adaptation measures to guarantee worker safety, continuity of operations and decent working conditions.
Startups presented as a lever for youth employment
The minister also highlighted the role of startups in creating new jobs, notably for young people.
These companies can, according to him, accompany digital and technological evolutions as well as the transition toward a knowledge- and innovation-based economy.
Issam Lahmar also stressed the importance of an effective partnership among the three components of the world of work, namely public authorities, employers and workers.
The aim is, in his view, to implement more balanced development approaches capable of reconciling sustainable economic growth, decent work and social justice.
Inclusive growth at the center of the Arab Labour Conference
The 52nd session of the Arab Labour Conference is taking place in Cairo from September 13 to 20, 2026.
It brings together notably Jordan’s Minister of Labour and Transport, Nidal Mardi Al-Qatamin, who chairs the conference, as well as Arab ministers of Labour and Social Affairs and the heads and members of the participating delegations.
The proceedings focus particularly on the Director-General’s report of the Arab Labour Organization on the theme: “Sustainable Economic Growth: Toward Global and Equitable Social Development in the Arab Countries.”
This report constitutes one of the main axes of the conference’s plenary sessions.
Participants also examine issues related to climate change and its effects on the work environment, as well as the role of startups and the opportunities they can offer in a context marked by the acceleration of digital transformation.
