HCP: Morocco’s job shortfall affects 2.4 million people, nearly half of young people

Morocco’s job shortfall affected 2.4 million people in the third quarter of 2026, with nearly half of young people aged 15 to 24 facing unmet employment needs, according to new figures from the High Commission for Planning (HCP).

The HCP’s latest labor market report, covering July through September, found that the composite rate of labor underutilization reached 19.6% nationwide, up from 18.9% in the previous quarter.

The rate among young people stood at 44.5%, while women recorded 28.5%, highlighting the groups facing the greatest difficulties in finding or securing enough work.

The 2.4 million people affected fall into three categories: those who are strictly unemployed, people considered part of the potential workforce who are not currently employed, and workers whose working hours are insufficient.

Strictly unemployed people accounted for 50.2% of the total, followed by the potential workforce at 29.9% and underemployed workers at 19.9%.

The number of people affected increased by 80,000 compared with the second quarter.

Strict unemployment also worsened during the period, reaching 10.5%, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous quarter.

The number of people without paid work who were actively seeking employment and available to work rose to 1.22 million, an increase of 103,000 in three months.

Young people remained the most exposed, with unemployment reaching 30.5%, up from 27.2% in the previous quarter. The rate among women climbed to 16.7%, compared with 8.7% among men.

The figures also show a decline in paid employment. Morocco had 10.47 million people in paid work during the third quarter, down by a net 173,000, or 1.6%, from the previous three months.

Rural areas accounted for most of the decline, losing a net 148,000 jobs, compared with 25,000 in urban areas.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing recorded the steepest losses, shedding a net 145,000 jobs, a 5.6% decrease. Services lost 96,000 jobs, while construction recorded a smaller decline of 3,000. Industry was the only sector to register an increase, adding a net 69,000 jobs, or 4.8%.

Services remained Morocco’s largest source of paid employment, accounting for 49.2% of all workers, followed by agriculture at 23.2%, industry at 14.6% and construction at 12.9%.

Guelmim-Oued Noun recorded the highest composite labor underutilization rate at 38.7%, followed by the Oriental region at 28.3% and Fes-Meknes at 25.9%. Casablanca-Settat stood at 20.1%, slightly above the national average.

Guelmim-Oued Noun also recorded the highest strict unemployment rate at 17.2%, followed by Draa-Tafilalet at 14.7% and the Oriental region at 13.7%.