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Rabat — The government has failed to deliver on its promise to create one million jobs during its current term, according to a new report from the Omega Center for Economic and Social Studies.
The center reportedly found that the government has actually lost 99,000 jobs on a net basis since 2022. This shortfall comes despite gains in urban areas, as rural employment continues to decline sharply.
The data reveals a severe divide between Morocco’s cities and countryside. Urban areas are at a consistent employment increase, but rural regions are declining in employment rates at an even faster rate.
In 2022, cities reportedly created 150,000 new positions. However, rural areas lost 174,000 jobs during the same period, resulting in a net loss of 24,000 positions nationwide.
The trend worsened in 2023, as urban employment grew by only 41,000 jobs, while rural areas reportedly lost 198,000 positions. This led to a net decline of 157,000 jobs across the country.
Some improvement emerged in 2024, with urban areas adding 162,000 new positions. Rural employment still fell by 80,000 jobs, but the overall balance turned positive for the first time with a net gain of 82,000 positions.
Despite the modest recovery in 2024, the three-year total shows a net loss of 99,000 jobs — a great distance from the government’s original target of creating one million positions.
The Omega Center’s analysis reportedly mentions deep structural problems. Urban areas benefit from job creation initiatives, while rural regions remain vulnerable to weather fluctuations and lack productive investments.
The government also appears to have missed targets for women’s employment participation. Female workforce participation reportedly stands at just 19%, well below the promised 30%.
Rural job losses reportedly stem from climate-related disruptions and insufficient investment in productive sectors. These factors continue to undermine employment prospects in Morocco’s countryside, where many families depend on agriculture and related industries.
The findings suggest the government needs new strategies to address rural employment challenges if it hopes to meet its job creation goals in the remaining years of its term.
The promise of creating one million jobs was one of Akhannouch’s party’s key campaign pledges, but the reports’ trends indicate this target will be difficult to achieve without significant policy changes, particularly in rural development and women’s workforce participation. The question remains: is the current government able to do so ahead of the coming elections in 2026?
