The unemployment rate in Q4 of 2023 stood at 16.4%, the National Institute of Statistics (French: INS) said, up from 15.8 % in Q3 and 15.2% in Q4 of 2022. The number of jobless people rose to 667,500 compared to 638,100 in Q3 of 2023. The jobless rate among men grew to 13.8% from 13.4% in Q3. The unemployment rate among women reached 22.2 % in Q4 of 2023 against 21.7% in Q3. The jobless rate among youth aged 15 to 24 soared to 40.9% in Q4 up from 39.1% in Q3 and 38.8 % in Q4 of 2022). 42.1% of young men are unemployed against 38.2 % among women. Unemployment among higher education graduates fell to 23.2 % in Q4 from 24.6 % in Q3 of 2023 and 24% in Q4 of 2022. This rate is 12.3 % among men and 33% among women. The INS said the active population trended upwards in the last quarter of 2023, standing at 4,083,8 against 4,032,2 in Q3 (+ 51,600 people). The workforce is made up of 2,835,5 men and 1,248,2 women, that is 69.4 % and 30.6 %, respectively of the working population. The upward trend observed in the active population in Q4 of 2023 reflected a higher activity rate (+0.6%), standing at 45.8 % of the working age population (over 15) against 45.2% in the previous quarter. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse