Data released today indicates that Morocco’s unemployment rate experienced a marginal decrease in the first quarter of 2025, settling at 13.3 percent.
This is a slight improvement compared to the 13.7 percent recorded during the same period in the previous year. While modest, this decline suggests an overall positive trend in employment, particularly within urban centers. However, the report also highlights the continued vulnerability of certain population groups and a concerning rise in underemployment.
Over the past year, the Moroccan economy demonstrated a significant rebound in job creation, adding 282,000 new positions after a loss of 80,000 jobs in the preceding year. This growth was primarily concentrated in urban areas, which saw the creation of 285,000 jobs, while rural areas experienced a slight decrease of 3,000 jobs.
The data further reveals a positive shift towards paid employment, which increased by 319,000, while the number of unpaid jobs declined by 37,000. This positive trend was observed across most sectors, with the notable exception of agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which experienced a significant loss of 72,000 jobs. This decline is attributed to the ongoing impact of drought conditions and structural changes within these sectors.
The services sector emerged as the primary engine for job creation, generating 216,000 new positions. Industry followed with 83,000 new jobs, and the construction sector added 52,000. The services sector now constitutes the largest share of the employed population at 49.2 percent, surpassing agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which accounts for 25 percent.
The total number of unemployed individuals in Morocco stands at 1.63 million, a decrease of 15,000 compared to the previous year. This reduction is largely due to a significant decrease of 40,000 unemployed individuals in urban areas, which was partially offset by an increase of 25,000 in rural areas. Consequently, the urban unemployment rate fell from 17.6 percent to 16.6 percent, while the rural unemployment rate saw a slight increase from 6.8 percent to 7.3 percent.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 continue to face the most significant challenges in the labor market, with an unemployment rate reaching a high of 37.7 percent. This is followed by women at 19.9 percent and graduates at 19.4 percent, underscoring the persistent difficulties in professional integration for these groups.
Adding to the complexity of the labor market situation, underemployment has significantly worsened. The number of underemployed individuals now stands at 1,254,000, a substantial increase from the 1,069,000 recorded the previous year. The national underemployment rate rose to 11.8 percent, up from 10.3 percent, with a particularly sharp increase observed in rural areas, where it reached 14.8 percent.
This mixed picture of Morocco’s labor market highlights the ongoing structural challenges the country faces in balancing dynamic job creation with the persistent issue of job insecurity and the growing concern of underemployment.
MK/te/Sf/fss/abj/APA