Ahmad 
The Moroccan High Commission for Planning announced that unemployment has reached 1.63 million people, which increases pressure on the government to provide job opportunities in light of weak economic growth.
The commission’s quarterly report on the status of the labor market confirmed that drought is still decisive in the status of the labor market in Morocco this year, as the market lost 82 thousand job opportunities in the second quarter of this year, as a result of the creation of 60 thousand job opportunities in cities and the loss of 141 thousand job opportunities in rural areas.
The report indicated that the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector lost 152 thousand job opportunities nationwide, while the construction and public works sector lost 35 thousand job opportunities.
In contrast, the service and industry sectors, including traditional industry, created 49 thousand and 58 thousand job opportunities respectively. As a result, the number of unemployed increased by 90 thousand people in the second quarter of this year compared to the same quarter last year, rising from 1.53 million unemployed to 1.63 million unemployed, an increase of 48 thousand in cities and 42 thousand in rural areas.
The unemployment rate jumped from 12.4% to 13.1%, and despite this increase, some disparities appear, as the rate rose from 16.3% to 16.7% in cities and from 5.7% to 6.7% in rural areas.
Unemployment affects young people more, as it rose among people aged 25 to 34 from 19.8% to 21.4%.
The report explained that the spread of unemployment increases the concern of families, as 82.8% of them expect the unemployment rate to rise in the next twelve months in the Household Confidence Index issued by the High Commission for Planning.
The latest data from the High Commission for Planning puts the issue of unemployment at the forefront, especially after the Prime Minister’s commitment to accelerate the pace of employment programs in order to contain unemployment rates and create job opportunities, noting that the government had committed to providing 200,000 job opportunities annually.
The weak job opportunities and worsening unemployment in Morocco since last year come amid weak economic growth, which is expected to be less than 3%, according to estimates by the World Bank and the High Commission for Planning.
The two institutions attribute this sharp decline to agricultural production, despite the resilience of the non-agricultural sector. The weak and fragile economic growth prevents the provision of sufficient job opportunities in Morocco, according to agricultural sector expert Mohamed Al-Hakash, who confirms that the quality of growth is crucial in providing sufficient opportunities and reducing the unemployment rate.
It is worth noting that rural areas are the most affected by drought, which widens the circle of unemployment, noting that the reality of employment in Morocco is affected by the prevalence of unpaid and underemployment. He points out that the fragility of the labor market in Morocco is most evident in the level of underemployment linked to a small number of working hours and the unsuitability of job opportunities to certificates, as this type of work absorbs more than one million people.
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