Rabat – Female unemployment in Morocco has surged to a three-decade high, reaching approximately 20% on average in 2023, according to a recent report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The alarming trend reflects the disproportionate impact of economic hardships on women in the workforce.
Despite some sectors showing resilience, the overall rise in unemployment shows a significant decline in the employment rate, plummeting to its lowest level since the second quarter of 2018.
What’s particularly concerning is the sharp drop in female labor force participation, which fell to 18.4% in the third quarter of 2023. The sliding female labor force participation marks a substantial 3.25 percentage points decline compared to 2019, far outstripping the drop seen among male labor force participants.
The primary driver behind the surge in female unemployment, according to the IMF report, is the substantial loss of jobs in the agricultural sector. This sector bore the brunt of severe water stress induced by a series of droughts, resulting in widespread layoffs and job loss.
Given women’s disproportionate representation in agriculture – with approximately 52 percent of working women employed in this sector compared to 29% of men in 2021 – they have been disproportionately affected by its downturn.
While service sectors continued to create some jobs, they were unable to absorb the losses incurred in agriculture, exacerbating the unemployment crisis, especially among women.
In addition, industries such as the construction sector failed to significantly contribute to job creation, diverging from previous trends observed over the past four years.
The observable drop in female labor participation preceded the recent spike in unemployment.
As of 2022, female participation in the labor market was at a mere 20%, down from 22% in 2021.
The World Bank reports warn that Morocco is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa that has witnessed a consistent drop in female labor participation in the past few years.
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