The High Commission for Planning issued on Friday a recent news note revealing that the unemployment rate in Morocco saw a surge from 11,4% to 13.5% between the third quarter of 2022 and the same quarter of 2023.
Unemployment remained unfortunately high among youth aged 15 to 24, accounting for 38.2%. It was also prevalent among women, recording 19,8% and individuals holding diplomas, with a 19.8% unemployment rate.
Overall, the national unemployment rate climbed from 15% to 17% in urban areas and from 5.2% to 7% in rural regions in the same period.
The recent news note highlighted that 297,000 employment jobs were lost between the third quarter of 2022 and the same quarter of 2023, with 29,000 job losses in urban areas and 296,000 in rural areas.
It shows that many sectors in the country experienced job losses, with 15,000 jobs in the “agriculture, forestry, and fishing” sector, 15,000 in the services sector, and 2,000 in the construction and public works sector.
On the other hand, the industry sector, including traditional industries was able to create 14,000 job positions.
The unemployment rate rose by 248,000 people, with 181,000 more people out of work in cities and 67,000 more out of work in rural areas.
This brings the overall number of unemployed individuals at the national level to 1,625,000 people during the third quarter of 2023.