Morocco’s Economy Sheds 58,000 Jobs Despite Post-COVID Recovery

In its information note on the labor market situation in the 1st quarter of the year, the High Commission for Planning (HCP) reported a decline in unemployment at the national level. However, this trend contrasts with the job losses during the period.

According to the figures, 58,000 jobs were lost, the result of the creation of 90,000 jobs in urban areas and the loss of 148,000 in rural areas, after a loss of 202,000 jobs a year earlier. By type of employment, 98,000 unpaid jobs were lost, including 80,000 in rural areas and 18,000 in urban areas, the same source pointed out.

For its part, the activity rate stood at 44.5% during the same period (a loss of one point), due to the decline in the active population by 1% and the increase in the working-age population (15 years and over) by 1.4%. As for the employment rate, it fell to 39.1% at the national level, as a result of a 0.2 point drop in urban areas and a 1.6 point drop in rural areas.