Unemployment falls in Morocco, but another figure reaches 18.9 %

The Moroccan labor market improved in the second quarter of 2026. The number of people unemployed under the strict definition fell by 132,000 in three months, settling at 1.121 million people.

On Bladi.net : Morocco Unemployment Rate Falls: What the Numbers Really Hide

The strict unemployment rate thus fell from 10.8 % in the first quarter to 9.5 % in the second quarter. It reached 11.9 % in cities, compared with 5.4 % in rural areas.

According to the new survey by the High Commission for Planning, the country also had 10.643 million people working for income, that is, 279,000 more employed people than in the previous quarter.

But the HCP no longer measures only unemployment. Its new survey introduces several indicators intended to better identify people whose need for work remains wholly or partially unmet.

A broader indicator than unemployment

The 9.5 % rate concerns only people without a job who are available and have actively sought work. People wishing to work but not meeting all these conditions are not counted among the strictly unemployed.

The HCP therefore now calculates a composite rate of labor underutilization. This combines strict unemployment, underemployment linked to insufficient working hours and the potential workforce.

This indicator reaches 18.9 % nationally. It rises to 21 % in cities and 15.2 % in rural areas.

These two rates do not cover exactly the same statistical scope. The composite rate broadens the population considered to include underemployed people and those who wish to work without being classified as strictly unemployed. It therefore does not correspond to simply adding categories to the 9.5 % rate.

Morocco notably has 527,000 people who work fewer hours than they would like. They are joined by 711,000 people belonging to the potential workforce, meaning people interested in employment but temporarily unavailable or not actively seeking work.

The situation remains particularly difficult for young people. Among those aged 15-24, the composite underutilization rate reaches 41.7 %, while their strict unemployment rate stands at 27.2 %.

Women are also more exposed. Their underutilization rate reaches 26.7 %, compared with 16.6 % among men.

Nevertheless, both indicators are moving in the right direction. The composite rate fell from 22.5 % to 18.9 % between the first two quarters of the year, a decrease of 3.6 points.

The 18.9 % figure thus complements the strict unemployment figure. It reveals that beyond those officially classified as unemployed, a much larger share of the population still lacks work either wholly or partially.

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The HCP finally specifies that the results of this new survey should not be directly compared with previous unemployment rates, which were calculated using a different methodology.