Drought impacts job market: Morocco unemployment rises

Morocco’s unemployment rate has surged to 13.3% in 2024, marking a slight increase from 13% the previous year, according to the latest report by Morocco’s national statistics agency, HCP.

The country’s farming sector, battered by a persistent drought, is a major contributor to the rising unemployment. In 2024, 137,000 agricultural jobs were lost, adding to the hardships faced by rural communities struggling through their seventh consecutive dry year.

As of December 2024, the number of unemployed individuals reached 1.63 million in the North African nation, which has a population of 37 million. The ongoing drought has decimated agricultural productivity, leading to significant job losses in this crucial sector.

Opposition groups have sharply criticized the government for failing to meet its job creation targets. The ruling party has defended its efforts, attributing the rise in unemployment to the drought’s devastating effects on agriculture. To address the crisis, the government has pledged $1.4 billion to promote job creation, with a focus on boosting small and medium enterprises and increasing youth employment opportunities.

While the agricultural sector continues to struggle, other sectors have seen some positive movement. The services industry has been the leading source of job growth, followed by industry and construction, according to the HCP.

Youth unemployment remains particularly high, with 36.7% of young people out of work, up from 35.8% last year. Among graduates, the unemployment rate stands at 19.6%, and among women, it is 19.4%, slightly lower than last year’s figures.

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