Local authorities across Morocco have begun updating municipal employee records as part of a coordinated campaign to combat the phenomenon of so-called “ghost employees”, workers who receive salaries without reporting to work.
According to Hespress AR sources familiar with the matter, provincial governors in several regions, starting with Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, have urged heads of local councils to revise staff lists in coordination with Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior of Morocco and municipal human resources departments.
Municipal officials have reportedly held preliminary meetings in recent weeks to establish a methodology for reviewing personnel records. The process includes the use of special forms designed to distinguish active employees from individuals allegedly receiving wages without physically attending work.
The move follows reports indicating that some local officials ignored previous directives from the Interior Ministry requiring two annual certifications for each employee: one confirming regular attendance and another documenting unjustified absences. These reports were to be sent to both the ministry and the General Treasury of the Kingdom of Morocco to verify whether salaries matched actual employment status.
Sources said the new verification mechanism will compare payroll lists with actual attendance records. Investigators reportedly found that some employees had no clearly defined professional role within municipal structures, while others appeared only in administrative paperwork without any observable field activity.
The reports also warned that such irregularities had persisted for years without accountability, revealing what sources described as structural weaknesses in internal oversight systems and violations of Morocco’s principle linking responsibility with accountability.
According to the same sources, the lists of suspected “ghost employees” include friends and relatives of senior public officials, as well as associates of political party and union figures and local council presidents. Many were allegedly recruited into municipal service under unclear circumstances without performing actual duties.
The reports estimate that these employees account for more than 20% of municipal wage expenditures, which total around 11 billion dirhams annually, meaning that over 2 billion dirhams may have been paid without corresponding work being performed.
Investigators also documented cases of employees registered in municipal payroll systems without clear legal justification or assigned responsibilities, particularly in smaller rural municipalities where oversight mechanisms are weaker.
Officials say the issue extends beyond financial losses, affecting the efficiency of public services and weakening local development efforts at a time when Morocco is pursuing major national projects, including preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup and broader regional development initiatives.
According to sources, the Interior Ministry is also considering the creation of a national employee database supported by a shared digital information system linking ministries and municipalities. The proposed system would allow real-time monitoring of staffing levels, administrative status and attendance records, helping authorities close loopholes that have allegedly enabled questionable hiring and promotions for decades.
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