Morocco’s unemployment rate declined to 13.1% in September from 13.6% a year earlier, driven by job gains in the services, construction, and industrial sectors that helped offset continued employment losses in the drought-stricken agricultural industry, the country’s statistics agency said on Tuesday.
The Haut-Commissariat au Plan (HCP) reported that the total number of unemployed people stood at 1.62 million in a population of about 37 million as of the end of September.
Joblessness remained particularly high among young people, with the unemployment rate at 38.4%. Among university graduates, it was 19%, while 21.6% of women were without work, the HCP noted in its quarterly labor market report.
The latest figures come amid Morocco’s ongoing efforts to stimulate growth and diversify its economy, as prolonged drought conditions continue to weigh heavily on agricultural output, a key driver of rural employment.
