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Rabat – Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) released a study about Moroccan families’ livelihoods during the state of emergency, reporting that 34% of the country’s households now have no source of income.
The release is part of a research project about the economic, social, and psychological situation of families in light of the coronavirus crisis.
HCP conducted the study between April 14 and 23, involving 2,350 families from various social classes of the Moroccan population, both urban and rural.
The study shows that nearly one third (34%) of Moroccan families do not have any source of income following the suspension of activities due to the lockdown.
Results differed greatly according to each household’s standard of living and the head of household’s profession. HCP found no source of income in 42% of families in marginal houses, 54% among qualified craftsmen and workers, and 46% among peasant workers.
This situation has led 14% of Moroccan families to borrow money in order to to finance their expenses during this period, while 8.3% have managed to cover expenses with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) stipends.
CNSS compensates affiliated workers who were suspended from work due to the pandemic, starting stipend distributions on April 6.
Stipends for RAMED holders began benefiting Moroccans who are not subject to any basic compulsory insurance scheme for sickness on Monday, April 13.
Non-RAMED holders are also receiving financial assistance, through King Mohammed VI’s Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19.
Public assistance
HCP indicated that approximately one family out of five received aid from the state to compensate for a loss of work. This translates to 19% of Moroccan households, including 13% within the framework of the RAMED medical assistance system and 6% under the formal sector wage assistance program, as known as CNSS.
According to the commission, 30.9% of Moroccan formal sector employees who applied have benefited from CNSS stipends, while RAMED stipends have benefited 66.6% of informal workers who applied.
In a survey linked to the study, 72% of families agreed that these stipends are not sufficient to compensate for lost income.
Differentiating RAMED assistance by social class, HCP indicates that 32.3% of beneficiaries are poor families and 18.8% are middle-income families, while affluent families represent 3%.
HCP reports that 60% of families whose members have lost their jobs have difficulty obtaining public assistance, including those who have not yet benefited because of a delay, while 3% said they do not need it.
In addition to the government-issued compensation for job suspension, many Moroccan families also received support from other entities during the lockdown period.
Forty-four percent of families received at least one additional transfer from various sources, including families, NGOs, public and private institutions, and more.
