The Moroccan government is making job creation the cornerstone of its proposed 2025 budget strategy, according to its official guideline issued on Tuesday ahead of submitting its Finance Bill for fiscal year 2025.
Focusing on stimulating employment opportunities primarily in rural regions that have been hit the hardest by unemployment. the government outlined its roadmap to address surging unemployment.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to restructure active employment programs and bolster support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). A key component of the plan includes enhancing women’s access to the labor market.
Despite Morocco’s robust economy, unemployment has emerged as a significant challenge, peaking at an unprecedented level of 13.7% in the first quarter of 2024.
The surge in unemployment is primarily attributed to the prolonged drought impacting the agricultural sector, historically the largest employer in Morocco.
The government is also focusing on improving the business climate as a pivotal mechanism for job creation.
Its ongoing decentralization of the operations of regional investment centers should position these centers as effective primary points of contact for investors.
Under a 2023-2026 plan, the government will continue to work to attract investment, contributing to the creation of “high value-added” jobs.
Morocco’s hosting of the 2030 World Cup is also expected to help reduce unemployment.
The government’s economic outlook for 2025 is cautiously optimistic, with GDP projected to grow at a rate of 4.6%.
The target, however, hinges on several variables, including global economic conditions and the performance of the agricultural sector which remains vulnerable to adverse climatic conditions.
To achieve the growth target, Morocco is projecting agricultural value-added output to increase by 11% ##and non-agricultural sectors to increase by 3.7%.