Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Morocco’s unemployment rate increased modestly in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, according to the High Commission for Planning’s (HCP) labor market figures.
The HCP figures show the increase of the national unemployment rate from 9.9 percent to 10.2 percent between 2016 and 2017, increasing 4.2 percent year-on-year.
The number of unemployed individuals rose from 1,167,000 to 1,216,000 people in the time period, marking an increase of 49.000 people. Most of this increase is registered in urban areas.
According to the HCP note, the unemployment rate increased from 14.2 percent to 14.7 percent in urban areas while rural unemployment was lower at 4 percent.
The report added that the highest unemployment rate remains for young people aged 15 to 24 at 26.5 percent. The rate for adults aged 25 to 34 is 17.9 percent and 14.7 percent for women.
During this period, the Moroccan economy saw the creation of 86,000 jobs, with 32,000 posts in urban areas and 54,000 in rural ones, compared to a loss of 37,000 jobs a year earlier, reports the HCP.
The services sector created 26,000 jobs, while agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors added a total of 42,000 jobs. Construction and public works added 11,000 jobs, while textiles and the creative industry including artisanat created 7,000 posts.
However, these figures continue a trend of flat job growth in several sectors that have kept unemployment stubbornly high for several years.
Increase of Underemployment
The note of the HCP also showed a slight increase in underemployment, which refers to a population employed at less than full-time in regular jobs or at jobs inadequate with their training or economic needs.
The report notes that the underemployed population reached 1.044.000 individuals, marking a .02 percent rise compared to 2016 (9.6 percent to 9.8 percent) at the national level.
By gender, the rate of underemployment reached 11.1 percent among men, with 8.8 percent in urban areas compared to 14.1 percent in rural ones, and 5.4 percent among women, with 9 percent in urban areas versus 2.3 percent in rural ones. These HCP figures also include unpaid employment.
Finally, the number of newly created paid jobs has risen to 57,000, with 22,000 in urban areas and 35,000 in rural ones, while unpaid employment posts are estimated at 29,000, with 20,000 in rural areas and 9,000 in urban ones.
