Six million Moroccan women cite household duties as barrier to employment, HCP finds

Around six million Moroccan women cite household responsibilities as a reason for remaining outside the workforce, while nearly five million identify childcare as another obstacle, according to a new labour market study published by the High Commission for Planning (HCP).

The findings, released on October 23, show that 9.7 million women aged 15 to 64 were outside the labour force in the second quarter of 2026, including 6.3 million in urban areas and 3.4 million in rural communities.

Housework and family responsibilities were cited by 61.6% of these women, equivalent to approximately six million people. Childcare was mentioned by 50.3%, or 4.9 million women, illustrating the extent to which unpaid domestic work shapes women’s participation in the economy.

The survey allowed respondents to identify multiple reasons for not working or seeking employment, meaning the categories overlap and should not be added together.

Other barriers included education or training, cited by 18% of women, opposition from husbands at 5.6%, and health problems at 4.5%.

The figures expose a pronounced gender gap in economic participation. Just 18.1% of working-age women participated in the labour force, compared with 66.5% of men.

More than two million Moroccans face unmet employment needs

Beyond women’s participation, the HCP’s new survey found that approximately 2.36 million Moroccans experienced some form of labour underutilization during the second quarter.

That figure includes 1.12 million unemployed people, 711,000 potential workers who did not meet the strict definition of unemployment, and 527,000 employed people who wanted additional working hours.

The combined labour underutilization rate reached 18.9%, nearly twice the narrowly defined unemployment rate of 9.5%.

The broader indicator captures people whose demand for employment is not fully reflected in conventional unemployment statistics, including those available for work but not actively seeking it.

Of Morocco’s 27.9 million residents aged 15 and older, 11.76 million were economically active, while approximately 16.1 million were outside the labour force.

Young people and graduates face additional difficulties

The figures also reveal substantial difficulties among young Moroccans entering employment.Among people aged 15 to 24, the employment rate stood at just 16.6%, while labour underutilization reached 41.7%. Nearly seven in ten unemployed people were aged between 15 and 34, and 40.9% had never previously worked.

Long-term unemployment remained widespread, with 57.2% of unemployed people seeking work for at least one year. Among unemployed university graduates, that proportion rose to 72.6%, despite higher educational qualifications generally being associated with greater labour force participation.

The study also highlighted regional inequalities. Casablanca-Settat recorded a 20.7% labour underutilization rate, while Dakhla-Oued Eddahab registered 8.6%.

The findings come from the HCP’s redesigned labour force survey, which uses an expanded sample of 135,000 households and updated international statistical definitions.The institution cautioned that the methodological changes mean the new results cannot be directly compared with previous employment survey figures.