Morocco’s Q1 Joblessness Slightly Up to 12.9%.

Morocco’s unemployment rate climbed slightly to 12.9% in the first quarter of 2023, up from 12.1% at this point last year, according to the Statistics and Forecasts Office (HCP) report published on Wednesday.
In breaking down the numbers from a regional perspective, the unemployment rate has risen from 16.3% to 17.1% in urban areas, while rural areas saw an increase from 5.1% to 5.7%. The rate is highest among young people aged 15 to 24 (35.3%), graduates (19.8%), and women (18.1%).
With a cumulative increase of 83,000 people (67,000 in urban areas and 16,000 in rural areas), Morocco’s jobless numbers totaled 1,549,000, up from the 1,466,000 tallied during Q1 2022.
The Real Estate category boasted a net gain of 28,000 jobs, while the Agricultural/Forest/Fishing and Service sectors each lost 247,000 jobs and 56,000 jobs, respectively. Despite the creation of 28,000 positions in Industrial Activities, approximately 38,000 jobs were siphoned from the Artisanal/Assimilated Activities component, leaving the overall Industry sector with a net deficit of 10,000 posts.