Drought-related economic hardship in Morocco left more than 1.44 million unemployed last year, affecting most urban dwellers and young people aged 15 to 24. Last year, unemployment in Morocco affected 11.8 percent of the active population in the context of slowing economic growth affected by a severe drought that reflected rural economic activity.
The number of unemployed, according to the annual report on the labor market issued by the High Commission for Planning (governmental), witnessed a decline of 66,000 compared to 2021, when the unemployment rate reached 12.3 percent or about 1.5 million people.
The High Commission for Planning notes that the labor market has improved relatively in cities, but has suffered from the effects of drought in rural areas, where 150,000 jobs were created in cities and 174,000 jobs were lost in rural areas, after losing 432,000 jobs in 2020 and creating 230 jobs in 2021.
According to the Commission's data, last year saw 164,000 jobs created in the services sector and 28,000 jobs in the industry, while the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors lost 215,000 jobs and the construction and public works sector 1,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate among women rose from 16.8 percent to 17.2 percent, among men from 10.9 percent to 10.3 percent, and among those with higher degrees from 19.6 percent to 18.6 percent. Data from the High Commission for Planning show that unemployment hits more people between the ages of 15 and 24, from 31.8 percent to 32.7 percent.
Source (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Edited)
