The figures released by the High Commission for Planning (HCP) on unemployment bode well for an ongoing recovery in the various sectors, giving a glimmer of hope for a real inflection in unemployment.
Thus, the unemployment rate in Morocco fell from 12.8% to 11.2% (-1.6 points) between the second quarters of 2021 and 2022, according to the HCP which has just published its note on the situation. of the labor market in the second quarter of 2022 (Q2-2022). The number of unemployed fell by 218,000 people, dropping from 1,605,000 to 1,387,000 unemployed, which corresponds to a drop of 14%, resulting from a decrease of 182,000 unemployed in urban areas and 36,000 in rural areas.
By sector, the “Services” sector created 237,000 jobs at the national level (184,000 in urban areas and 53,000 in rural areas), recording a 5% increase in employment in this sector, benefiting from the revival of the national tourism sector, especially with the summer season. For its part, the “Industry” sector created 76,000 jobs, while the construction sector created 30,000 jobs, 16,000 jobs in urban areas and 14,000 in rural areas.
Gender inequalities persist! With an unemployment rate of 15.1%, women are among the categories of the population most affected by this scourge, despite a drop of 0.8 points in Q2-2022 (15.9% in Q2-2021). This rate fell by 2 points for men, dropping from 11.9% to 9.9%.
The drop in the activity rate observed in Q2 of 0.9 points, compared to the same period of 2021, to stand at 45.2%, concerned more women (-1.2 points), going from 22.5% to 21.3%, than men (-0.7 points), from 70.6% to 69.9%, which confirms the low participation of women in the labor market. Graduates, the most affected
The unemployment rate fell by 2.4 points among graduates, from 20.4% to 18%, and by 1.4 points among non-graduates, from 5% to 3.6%. Graduates face persistent difficulties in quickly integrating the job market, a finding that calls into question the effectiveness of the reforms of Morocco’s education system aimed at achieving a good match between training and employment.
Job creation: a confirmed recovery The national economy created 133,000 jobs in Q2-2022, which corresponds to an increase of 1%. By type of job, 299,000 paid jobs were created, resulting in the creation of 307,000 in urban areas and a loss of 8,000 in rural areas, specifies the HCP, adding that unpaid employment has decreased. 166,000 jobs, i.e. a loss of 144,000 in rural areas and 22,000 in urban areas. The employment rate, meanwhile, stagnated at 40.2% nationally. It increased by 0.8 point in urban areas (from 34.9% to 35.7%) and fell by 1.7 point in rural areas (from 50.4% to 48.7%). This rate increased among men (+0.7 points) and fell among women (-0.9 points).
Targeted government programs Government programs launched recently have obviously boosted employment dynamics in our country. Thus, the “Forsa” program, which aims to promote investment and employment, is a real opportunity to boost entrepreneurship, particularly among young people. Focused on two mechanisms combining support and financing, the program targets all people over the age of 18 with ideas or entrepreneurial projects.
The objective is clear: to provide the necessary support to young people who constitute a lever for the economic and social development of our country, and to ensure their integration into the job market, with a view to developing human resources. Another ambitious support and financing program for entrepreneurship “Intelaka”, which aims to instill entrepreneurial dynamics in Morocco by promoting inclusive socio-economic integration of young people.
Launched by King Mohammed VI in February 2020, this mechanism put in place between the State, the banking sector and other actors to establish a common dynamic in favor of very small businesses (TPE), young project leaders, the world sector, the informal sector and exporting enterprises, includes measures intended to overcome the difficulties hindering access to financing for these specific targets. It is also the “Awrach” program which aims to provide immediate responses to citizens affected by the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic through the creation of 250,000 direct jobs between 2022 and 2023.
This program has so far enabled the creation of more than 30,000 job offers in several regions of the Kingdom.
A framework conducive to the emergence of young innovative companies has therefore been put in place, through various programs, all of which aim to combat youth unemployment and encourage them to further integrate into the labor market.
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