Rabat — Morocco’s unemployment rate has seen a slight decrease in the third quarter of 2025, reaching 13.1%, according to a report from the Higher Commission of Planning (HCP).
However, a sharp rise in underemployment, particularly in rural areas, overshadows this apparent progress.
The HCP reports that unemployment dropped from 13.6% in the second quarter to 13.1% in the third quarter of 2025 — a decrease of 0.5%. Cities saw unemployment fall from 17% to 16.3%, while rural areas experienced a decline from 7.4% to 6.9%.
The report also indicated that the total number of jobless Moroccans decreased by 55,000 people over the year, dropping from 1.683 million to 1.629 million — a 3% reduction. This improvement came from 29,000 fewer unemployed people in urban areas and 25,000 fewer in rural regions.
Women face growing unemployment crisis
In terms of gender unemployment rates, the report’s data indicated that they were not equal. Men’s unemployment rate fell by one percentage point, from 11.6% to 10.6%. Women’s unemployment, however, climbed by 0.8 points to reach 21.6%.
Among young people aged 15 to 24, unemployment edged down from 39.5% to 38.4%. The 35 to 44 age group saw their rate drop from 7.7% to 6.9%.
Graduates still struggle to find work
Unemployment among graduates remains high despite a modest decrease from 19.8% to 19%. Technicians and mid-level managers saw the most significant improvement, with their unemployment rate falling from 29.9% to 27.6% — a drop of 2.3 points.
However, unemployment increased slightly among secondary school graduates (up 0.5 points) and higher education graduates (up 0.4 points). These figures reveal a persistent mismatch between education and job market demands.
Underemployment surges to alarming levels
The darker side of this apparent improvement shows in the sharp rise of underemployment. The number of underemployed Moroccans jumped to 1.199 million people, up from 1.066 million a year earlier.
Two types of underemployment have increased. Underemployment related to insufficient working hours rose from 5.5% to 5.7%. Underemployment linked to inadequate income or education-job mismatch climbed from 4.5% to 5.3%.
The national underemployment rate now stands at 11.1%, compared to 10% in 2024. Urban areas report a rate of 9.5%, while rural areas reach 13.8%.
The steepest increases affected people aged 35 to 44 (up 2.2 points), young people aged 15 to 24 (up 2 points), rural workers (up 1.8 points), and men (up 1.3 points).
Construction and agriculture hit hardest
The construction sector recorded the largest increase in underemployment, jumping 2.3 points from 19.9% to 22.2%. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector followed with an increase from 11.9% to 13.1% — up 1.2 points. These figures confirm the ongoing fragility of seasonal and informal employment.
