The present work aimed to study the “talent pool” identification process to implement a retention strategy dealing with talent scarcity in the Tunisian market. This scarcity, caused by the emigration of skilled employees to other countries, has become more marked in Tunisia after the Arab Spring revolution, particularly in the IT sector.
Here, we examined how talent is identified and retained in international Tunisian companies. A qualitative study involving 45 semi-structured interviews was conducted using NVivo 15 software, based on a thematic content analysis with human resources and the talent pool from five international Tunisian companies specialising in the IT sector (Sofrecom, Vermeg, Leoni, Orange Group and Ooredoo).
This research illustrates that the talent pool identification process in the Tunisian context is based on performance evaluation and talent review.
Once talent has been identified, Tunisian international companies must integrate retention practices, such as reward and recognition, career growth, training and development, talent commitment, work–life balance, supervisor support, work culture and employer branding.
