Tunis — President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali chaired on Monday a cabinet meeting centered on ways to further boost the employment sector.

After examining the situation of the labour market in light of the reforms decided to restructure employment programs, the meeting reviewed components of the first phase of measures to be implemented in 2010, in accordance with the relevant orientations and goals set in the 2009-2014 presidential program.

These measures provide particularly for:

• The National Employment Fund's interventions in favour of 210,000 beneficiaries with a total investment cost of 187 million dinars. These interventions will concern some 86,500 recipients of micro-loans , 37,000 beneficiaries of professional training courses among university graduates and 28,000 recipients of regional employment mechanisms.
• Launch of the implementation of the voluntary civil service program which targets 10,000 university graduates. Opportunities for training will help this program's recipients gain practical and professional skills which will prepare for their integration into the job market.
• Signing contract-programs with the concerned employment development associations that will be tasked with guiding job applicants and helping promoters launch their businesses.
• Opting for a personalized processing of job applications.

In this respect President Ben Ali reasserted the importance he gives to this "top priority" issue, stressing the need to complete the implementation of the set programs.

He also issued recommendations to step up regional partnership days, given their role in increasing the momentum of businesses and job creation.