After losing 24,000 job positions in 2022, Morocco’s economy lost another 157,000 positions in 2023, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP).
The commission explained in a press release that the decrease was mainly due to a loss of 198,000 positions in rural areas and a gain of 41,000 jobs in urban areas.
The unemployment rate nationwide jumped to 13%, an increase from the previous rate of 11.8%. It surged from 15.8% to 16.8% in urban areas and from 5.2% to 6.3% in rural areas.
The number of unemployed people rose by 138,000, with 98,000 of those in urban areas and 40,000 in rural areas. This brings the overall number of unemployed individuals in the country to 1,580,000.
The HCP highlighted that the unemployment rate is still higher among young people aged 15 to 24 at 35.8%, followed by graduates at 19.7% and women at 18.3%.
The number of underemployed individuals in Morocco also increased between 2022 and 2023, from 972,000 to 1,043,000. This increase was seen in both urban areas—from 520,000 to 560,000—and rural areas–from 452,000 to 483,000.
This represents an increase rate from 9% to 9.8%, with urban areas rising from 8.1% to 8.7% and rural areas climbing from 10.4% to 11.6%.
In contrast, data reveal that the construction sector brought 19,000 employment to the national economy, while the service sector created 15,000 new job positions and the industry sector gained 7,000 jobs.
However, this growth is offset by the significant job losses in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector, which shed 202,000 positions.
During the said period, the number of individuals who had just lost their jobs increased significantly. The percentage of those unemployed for less than one year increased from 31.3% to 33.3%.
This resulted in a drop in the average duration of unemployment from 33 to 32 months. Of the unemployed, 27.8% found themselves in this situation after finishing or dropping out of school, while 27% were dismissed or their employer’s business closed.
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