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Rabat – A recent study published by the World Bank has found that a lack of “safe and efficient” transportation options for workers in Morocco is negatively affecting companies in the manufacturing sector.
The transport issue has resulted in lower competitiveness, particularly in big industrial cities like Casablanca and Tangiers, the study indicated. It added that “unreliable transport services have led to high employee turnover and exhaustion for employees.”
The study indicated that when some firms cannot benefit from public transport services, they end up covering their workers’ transport services, further affecting their competitiveness due to the additional costs.
According to the study, demanding private companies to provide safe and efficient transportation for their staff means fewer people will be able to use public transportation services. This would result in less demand, which would reduce the “incentive” to enhance public transportation services, the study added.
Discussions between the World Bank’s transport team and industry executives from Morocco revealed that the latter were aware of the difficulties their employees face in terms of access to transportation, as well as the effects it has on their competitiveness in the market.
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The World Bank’s transport team created an “innovative survey tool” to better evaluate businesses’ transport policies, as well as their understanding of employee commuting patterns. Even though it was initially created for Morocco, the tool could be applied anywhere, the study noted.
A total of 31 Moroccan companies, all of which are from the textile sector, responded to the transport team’s survey request. Out of the participants, 60% of the companies are based in Casablanca, while 20% are in Tangiers, 13% in Fez, and 7% in Marrakech.
The survey findings reveal that improving and expanding public transportation in Morocco is a crucial element needed to help low and medium-income workers commute to work, and as a result help companies access the workforce they need.
