Outsourcing to Tunisia: costs, profiles and cities (2026)

Page updated on 21 October 2026. Public data checked; sources at the end of the page.

Three strengths explain why European companies are interested in outsourcing to Tunisia. The country is only one hour ahead of London in winter and on the same time in summer. According to the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF, 2022), 52% of its inhabitants speak French. Its established customer relations sector employs 25,000 to 30,000 people, depending on the source. The country also has limits. Unemployment stands at 14.9% (Q2 2026), the sector draws about 84% of its revenue from France (2023) and the legal framework is recent. This page brings together salaries, cities, time zone, law and the MaaSil method.

Tunisia at a glance: key figures

Why outsource to Tunisia?

Outsourcing to Tunisia is a form of nearshoring: Paris is about 2 h 25 away by direct flight (Partir.com).

• Time zone: one hour ahead of London in winter and the same time in summer, which gives 8 shared office hours (9 in summer).
• French language: 52% French speakers (OIF, 2022), compared with 36% in Morocco.
• Graduates: 37,524 bachelor's degrees and 3,110 engineering degrees in 2024-2025 in institutions under the Ministry of Higher Education (African Manager).
• Salaries: according to Tanitjobs, a junior full stack developer earns TND 1,400-2,200 gross per month (€416-654). For a junior full stack developer in France, Michael Page gives €40,000 gross per year, or about €3,333 per month (2022 figure).

There are limits too.

• Dependence on France: about 84% of call centre revenue (2023), and a French law on telephone canvassing in force since 11 August 2026.
• Legal framework: no adequacy decision from the European Commission, and a 2025 Tunisian law on fixed-term contracts and subcontracting.
• Infrastructure: fixed speed of about 20 Mbit/s and power cuts in July 2026.
• Technical talent: 46,000 engineers have left in ten years out of 105,000 registered, according to the Order of Engineers (estimate).
• Unofficial salaries: no international consultancy publishes a pay scale for the country.

The job market in Tunisia

According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), unemployment is 14.9% in Q2 2026, compared with 15.0% in Q1. This decline does not come with job creation. The labour force falls by 77,500 people, the number of people in work by 58,200, and the participation rate drops from 45.9% to 44.7% (Business News, relaying the INS). Unemployment stands at 35.4% among 15-24-year-olds and 26.6% among higher-education graduates, including 35.6% among female graduates. The pool of available graduates is large; these rates do not measure the quality of the profiles.

The average gross monthly salary is about TND 2,700 in 2025, or €803, according to Les Afriques, citing the INS.

The outsourcing sector

The call centre sector generated revenue of 1.181 billion dinars in 2023, compared with 831 million in 2019 (UTICA study, relayed by Webdo). That represents growth of about 9% a year. We found no more recent figure. It has about 250 companies and, depending on the source, 25,000 to 30,000 jobs, compared with about 90,000 in Morocco according to the Moroccan sector federation (FMES, 2026). Activity is split into 39% inbound calls, 41% outbound calls and 20% back office and support.

Dependence on France is strong: 84% of revenue according to the UTICA study, UTICA being the employers' organisation. French law no. 2025-594, in force since 11 August 2026, bans telephone canvassing of consumers without prior consent, with some exceptions. According to Kapitalis, an official of the National Chamber of Call Centres estimates that the law could affect about 20% of activity. Business News puts canvassing at about 30% of activity. No official assessment exists.

How much does an employee cost in Tunisia?

Dinar amounts are converted at the Central Bank of Tunisia rate of 20 October 2026: €1 = TND 3.3614, rounded to the euro. The legal minimum wage (SMIG, guaranteed interprofessional minimum wage) is TND 554.736 per month for 48 hours a week (about €165). It is TND 470.251 for 40 hours (about €140). These amounts have applied since 1 January 2026 (Business News).

According to two unofficial websites (Ma Calculatrice en ligne, Rivermate), the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) charges the employer 17.07% and the employee 9.68%. On top come work accident insurance (0.4% to 4% according to Rivermate), the vocational training tax and the FOPROLOS (Ma Calculatrice en ligne; rates not verified). Another guide, which we could not open, would give 16.57%: we take no position. We could not consult the official contribution schedule.

The table draws on the 2026 salary guide by Tanitjobs, a job website: estimates cross-checked from published job offers, in gross monthly terms, excluding bonuses. Junior (0 to 2 years), mid-level (2 to 5 years) and senior (5 years and over) are defined only for IT.

Another Tanitjobs page gives TND 1,200-2,000 (€357-595) for a junior developer and TND 2,500-4,500 (€744-1,339) for a mid-level one. According to Tanitjobs, the senior salary is 2.2 times the junior one for a call centre agent and 3.6 times for a developer (ratio of range mid-points), compared with about 1.7 in France according to Michael Page.

In France, Michael Page gives €32,000 to €65,000 gross per year for a general accountant, from junior to senior. In the United Kingdom, the National Careers Service gives £27,000 to £60,000 (€32,132 to €71,405) for a web developer.

And with MaaSil?

A market salary is not the cost of a service: it covers neither employer contributions nor the other costs of a full service. MaaSil applies its public price list, the same whatever the country: €55 to €100 excl. VAT per day for general profiles (about €1,150 excl. VAT per month). It is €120 to €250 excl. VAT per day for senior IT developers (about €2,600 excl. VAT per month). See the pricing page.

Which cities should you choose to outsource to Tunisia?

Four hubs stand out. Governorate populations (INS, 2024) include rural areas: they cannot be compared with urban areas (UN, 2025). The information on technology parks comes from a job website guide written with the help of artificial intelligence, according to its disclaimer: it is indicative.

Greater Tunis

The four governorates (Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous, Manouba) total 2,885,040 inhabitants; the Tunis urban area has 2,473,428. A job website states that Tunis concentrates more than 70% of call centre staff. The Elgazala Technopark, in Ariana, has 90 companies according to Wikipedia and more than 150 according to the guide: we take no position.

Sfax, Sousse and Monastir

Sfax (1,047,468 inhabitants, governorate) is home to Sfax Technopole, with about 80 offshore IT companies. Sousse (762,281) has a technopole of about 50 companies and call centres. Monastir (599,769) has a digital hub geared towards financial technology start-ups.

According to Les Afriques, citing the INS, salaries in Tunis are said to be 20% to 30% higher than in the inland governorates.

What is the time difference with Europe?

Tunisia is on UTC+1 all year, with no daylight saving time: one hour ahead of London in winter, the same time as London in summer. Morocco has been on UTC+0 since 20 September 2026. Tunisia is therefore one hour ahead of Morocco, whereas both countries were on UTC+1 until 19 September 2026, outside Ramadan.

The table gives Tunisian time minus the city's time, then the shared office hours (9am to 6pm on both sides, breaks not deducted). "Winter" and "summer" are the European seasons.

No Ramadan-specific clock change has been announced. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on 8 February 2027, according to a provisional astronomical calculation (Tuniscope).

Languages and skills available

Arabic is the official language; French is used in administration and, in some contexts, in education (Wikipedia). According to the OIF, Tunisia has 6,321,000 French speakers out of 12,047,000 inhabitants, or 52% (2022 estimate).

The EF EPI 2025 index ranks Tunisia 66th in the world with 498 points, against a world average of 488, in the "low" category. The index measures people who volunteer for an online test, not the whole population.

Infrastructure: internet, electricity, technology parks

According to Ookla (read via Wikipedia), the median fixed speed is 20.24 Mbit/s in March 2026, compared with 56.22 in Morocco and 352.35 in France. The median mobile speed is 52.84 Mbit/s. The Medusa submarine cable (Marseille-Bizerte) is operational in Tunisia according to an Orange Tunisie announcement of 24 June 2026.

The electricity utility STEG carried out rolling power cuts in July 2026 during a heatwave, notably in Greater Tunis and in Sfax (16 and 23 July). No quantified reliability indicator was found: ask about the backup power supply at each site.

Data protection and employment law

This section presents public texts and is not legal advice. Have any contractual arrangement checked by a lawyer.

Organic Law no. 2004-63 of 27 July 2004 protects personal data. It requires a prior declaration to the National Authority for Personal Data Protection (INPDP), the supervisory authority, and an INPDP authorisation for any transfer abroad. A bill tabled in July 2025 would replace it, but no text has been adopted (Business News). Tunisia is not on the European Commission's list of countries recognised as adequate. Transfers from the Union therefore rely on appropriate safeguards, in practice often standard contractual clauses.

Law no. 2025-9, adopted on 21 May 2025 and published on 23 May 2025, amended the Labour Code. According to the law firm DLA Piper:

• the probationary period is 6 months at most, renewable once;
• the fixed-term contract is limited to specific cases; outside those cases, it is reclassified as an open-ended contract;
• labour-only subcontracting is penalised: only service contracts meeting three conditions remain valid (specialised professional or technical expertise, outside the beneficiary's main and permanent activity, employees outside its direction or control);
• the fine is TND 10,000 (about €2,975), doubled for legal entities; service providers have three months to come into compliance.

The cited source does not detail how these rules apply to the different outsourcing models.

Practical information: currency, public holidays, flights and visas

The Tunisian dinar went from 3.207 to the euro on average in 2020 to 3.393 in 2025 (Eurostat). Exchange controls are strict: taking dinars out of the country is prohibited and foreign currency may have to be declared (GOV.UK).

Business News lists 15 public holidays in 2026, including Eid al-Fitr (20 to 22 March) and Eid al-Adha (27 and 28 May); religious holidays depend on the moon. Public administration has been closed on Saturdays and Sundays since 2012, except for some services; we found no rule for the private sector.

A direct flight from Paris-Orly to Tunis takes about 2 h 25, with one flight a day (Partir.com). A French citizen does not need a visa for stays of up to three months (France Diplomatie). According to France Diplomatie (security section updated on 15 September 2026), a state of emergency has been in force since 2015. Travel to border areas in the west and south is advised against; the advisories consulted do not place Tunis, Sfax, Sousse or Monastir in these areas.

Tunisia compared with other African destinations

The unemployment figures below are modelled estimates for 2025 (World Bank). Minimum wages are converted at Eurostat's 2025 averages, hence €164 for Tunisia here, compared with €165 at the day's rate elsewhere. MAD means the Moroccan dirham and EGP the Egyptian pound. In France, the minimum wage (SMIC) is €1,867.02 gross per month for 35 hours a week (order of 22 May 2026, Service-Public).

Morocco has a higher minimum wage and a fixed speed more than twice as high. Its call centre sector is much larger (about 90,000 jobs according to the FMES, 2026). See the outsourcing to Morocco page. Egypt is ranked 23rd in the Kearney Global Services Location Index 2023; we found no rank for Tunisia. See outsourcing to Egypt. A minimum wage does not measure labour cost: the table supports no cost conclusion.

How MaaSil recruits in Tunisia

MaaSil recruits in Tunisia remotely and relies on a business manager based in the country. The selection process is the same as for its consultants in Madagascar. It has four steps: pre-selection (MaaSil states that it presents the "top 1%" of CVs received), two interviews, technical tests, presentation to the client. According to MaaSil, consultants are 100% integrated into the client's teams, with the same tools, the same processes and direct daily exchanges.

MaaSil states about one month to recruit and about four weeks to reach full autonomy. It reports more than 100 consultants, more than 40 clients and 95% of talent staying with the same client after 18 months. These figures are MaaSil's own statements; they cover the whole company, mostly Madagascar. According to MaaSil, the client directs the assignments day to day, and MaaSil handles recruitment, HR follow-up and coordination. The premises, equipment and internet and power backups described by MaaSil concern Madagascar, not Tunisia. See Why us and contact.

Which jobs can you outsource to Tunisia?

• Customer relations: the core of the Tunisian sector, with a French-speaking talent pool; outbound canvassing of consumers in France is the most exposed to the French telephone canvassing law. See customer relations officer.
• IT development: Elgazala, Sfax Technopole and PASS Consulting group players together, but the engineer drain needs watching. See full stack developer.
• Accounting: TND 900 to 5,000 per month depending on experience (Tanitjobs). See accountant.
• Administrative support: TND 700 to 3,500 per month (Tanitjobs). See administrative assistant.

FAQ: outsourcing to Tunisia

Sources and methodology

This page was written by MaaSil Inc, an outsourcing company, from public data consulted on 21 October 2026 (statistical institutes, international organisations, salary guides). Figures change; found a mistake? Write to us via our contact page.

• INS, Employment and unemployment indicators, second quarter 2026
• Tanitjobs, Tunisia salaries 2026: guide by sector and job
• Central Bank of Tunisia, average daily exchange rates
• Business News, Tunisia: the SMIG revised upwards
• Webdo, call centres: record growth
• Business News, French canvassing law and call centres
• DLA Piper, Tunisian law no. 2025-9
• European Commission, adequacy decisions
• EF, Tunisia fact sheet EF EPI 2025 (PDF)
• Service-Public, SMIC (order of 22 May 2026)
• World Bank, modelled unemployment rate

Other sources cited: Paylab, Michael Page, National Careers Service, GOV.UK, OIF, Eurostat, France Diplomatie.