RABAT (Reuters) – Morocco’s unemployment rate rose to 13.3% in 2024 from 13% a year earlier, as the farming sector continues to shed jobs due to a drought, Morocco’s statistics agency HCP said on Monday.
As of the end of 2024, there were 1.63 million unemployed people in Morocco, a nation of 37 million people, with the agricultural sector having lost 137,000 jobs following the seventh dry year in a row, HCP said in a report.
The government has faced criticism from the opposition for falling short on its job creation promises.
The government last month blamed the surge in unemployment on the drought and promised to spend $1.4 billion to boost job creation this year, including through spurring on small and medium enterprises and promoting youth employment.
Services created the most jobs, followed by industry and construction, the HCP said.
The unemployment rate was higher among young people at 36.7%, compared with 35.8% last year. Among graduates, it stood at 19.6% and among women 19.4%, compared with 19.7% and 18.3% the year before.
(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Alison Williams)
