Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Morocco’s economy hemorrhaged 157,000 jobs in 2023, with rural areas bearing the brunt of the alarming trend accounting for the loss of 198,000 jobs out of the total.
At the end of 2023, unemployment in Morocco reached 13%, a rate not seen in over two decades. The culprit behind the trend is drought-stricken agriculture, which accounted for nearly 28% of jobs, a report from the Higher Commission of Planning (HCP) said on Monday.
The agriculture sector in Morocco shed a sweeping 202,000 jobs nationwide, with a substantial 207,000 of the job cuts occurring in rural areas. However, there was a modest offset with the creation of 5,000 jobs in urban regions.
The colossal loss of jobs in the agriculture sector is likely due to the persistent drought and its effect on crops.
In contrast, other sectors performed more favorably. Excluding agriculture, all remaining sectors witnessed notable job growth. HCP data reveal that the construction sector injected 19,000 jobs into the national economy, while the services sector generated 15,000 new positions, and the industry sector added 7,000 jobs.
The country has long recognized that its over-reliance on agriculture to generate jobs is unsustainable.
The 2021 New Development Model, a state plan for socio-economic development, stressed the need for a diversified economy to offset the risks associated with rain-fall agriculture.
Agriculture’s share of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been steadily decreasing over the past decade. However, as of 2023, it still only accounts for over 10% of the GDP.
Beyond over-reliance on agriculture, unemployment in Morocco is still driven by a host of other culturally-motivated factors, as joblessness remains higher than average among women at 18%.
As of 2022, 73% of the 15 million active population outside the labor force were women, an earlier report from HCP indicated. In addition, a staggering 80% of Morocco’s female population of working age is outside the labor market.
High unemployment among women in Morocco is directly attributed to prevailing conservative notions relating to gender roles in the country.
Read Also: Women in Morocco Still 3 Times Less Likely to Enter Labor Force
