Morocco’s Construction Boom Faces Labor Crisis: World Cup Projects Strain Housing Sector

According to the National Federation of Real Estate Developers, this tension in the labor market is particularly affecting housing construction, with production slowdowns that can reach 40%, reports Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.

This lack of workers and apprentices, attracted by public infrastructure projects, is putting real estate developers in difficulty with their financial commitments to banks and commercial commitments to their clients. The situation is exacerbated by a surge in construction material prices and a significant increase in wages in the sector: a skilled worker ("maâlem") can now earn 300 dirhams per day, and an apprentice 200 dirhams.

The Federation estimates that this shortage should worsen in the coming years. In addition to the major projects, better agricultural activity has limited the arrival of young rural people in the sector this year, while young urban people traditionally shun these professions. The change in the country’s demographic structure is also cited as an underlying factor.

Faced with what he calls an "unprecedented problem", a federation official calls for urgent government intervention. He notably suggests turning to the African workforce present in Morocco, by offering to "train them" and "grant them a residence permit, even temporary, in addition to social guarantees" to sustainably meet the sector’s needs.