AI Disruption Sparks Call Center Crisis in Morocco

Several companies have already launched layoff and downsizing operations, reports Médias24. At the origin of this wave of layoffs is the constantly evolving artificial intelligence, but also the law on the prohibition of unsolicited telephone canvassing, adopted on May 21 last by the French Parliament, which will come into force in August 2026. Referring to the first factor, Ayoub Saoud, secretary general of the National Federation of Call Centers and Offshoring Professions, is concerned about "the growing substitution of the human being by artificial intelligence". He confides that he is a victim of it: today, it is the artificial intelligence tools that play his role as quality manager in charge of auditing the calls of the call center agents via Speech Analytics solutions.

Youssef Chraibi, president of Outsourcia and the Moroccan Federation of Service Outsourcing (FMES), does not express the same concerns. He sees a limited impact. "The impact is minor and the sector will remain a job creator," he assures. To support his argument, he recalls that the trend towards outsourcing will continue to grow at an annual rate of 8% worldwide. He also does not believe in a wave of layoffs that could affect the entire sector. "There are no massive layoffs. The sector is continuing to grow and remains one of the leading providers of skilled jobs for young people in Morocco. What is true, however, is that growth should experience a temporary slowdown, due to the French law," he adds.

According to him, the French law on the prohibition of unsolicited telephone canvassing will directly impact companies specialized exclusively in telephone commercial prospecting. He explained that those who will not be able to quickly pivot towards higher value-added activities are at risk of being weakened. He specifies that the offshoring sector employs around 140,000 people in Morocco and that, each year, there are mechanically job losses, but above all more creation: the average pace is 10,000 net jobs created per year. This pace could, he observes, slow down slightly in 2025 and 2026, before regaining the usual double-digit growth dynamic.