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Algerian Youth Left in Limbo by New Drug Test Requirement for Employment
New anti‑drug hiring rule touted as moral reform masks regulatory gaps and risks deepening exclusion of young Algerian jobseekers
ALGIERS — In the tense hours after candidates queued outside recruitment centers, a quiet panic spread—not over exam scores, but uncertainty. Without official guidance, aspirants unsure whether to submit to compulsory drug tests found their career hopes hanging in limbo.
This administrative confusion stems from a law published on 13 July 2025 in the Journal officiel (No. 43), which mandates that job applicants—both in public service and private sector roles—present a negative drug test to be considered for employment.
Though framed as a means to moralize the labor market, the new requirement has left candidates, officials, and legal experts scrambling. The Direction Générale de la Fonction Publique, which should oversee implementation, admits no regulations or guidelines have been issued. It has shifted responsibility to the Ministry of Justice, deepening procedural uncertainty.
“In principle, this is about professionalism and safety. In reality, it’s a move fraught with legal and ethical risks,” says Farah Mansouri, a labor rights advocate based in Oran. “Without clear protocols, many qualified graduates stand to be unfairly excluded.”
Human Toll Amid Legal Silence
For Algeria’s growing cohort of unemployed youth—especially university graduates—the measure feels like yet another hurdle. Among them is *Amine, a 24-year-old from Constantine, who prepared for a highly competitive exam only to be turned away.
“They told me I needed to submit a test, but I wasn’t given details. I couldn’t afford private clinics, and local hospitals don’t even have certificates ready,” he recounts.
A Measure in Search of Structure
Introduced as part of a broader law ramping up penalties against narcotic trafficking and usage, the drug test rule has been criticized as more symbolic than systematically grounded. Observers question the absence of provisions protecting personal medical data, ensuring test accuracy, or even specifying official testing centers.
Legally, veterans of employment rights and administrative law note the dangerous precedent of imposing conditions with no roadmap for compliance.
Context & Broader Significance
This development unfolds in a broader Algerian context marked by rising authoritarianism and restricted civic spaces. Measures purportedly aimed at protection or security are increasingly viewed as tools of social control.
Rather than investing in prevention, support systems, or rehabilitation services, the state appears to favor exclusionary tactics—compounding the frustration of youth already navigating economic instability.
Source: Maroc Diplomatique