This Monday, December 23, took place the presentation of the 2024 report of the Moroccan Observatory of TPME (OMTPME), by Ms. Amal Idrissi, Director of the Observatory, who continues and refines her analysis of the Moroccan productive fabric. This fifth edition highlights the achievements of the past year and the outlook for 2025, while providing an analytical look at the challenges ahead. Ms. Idrissi stressed that this report reflects “a rigorous approach based on up-to-date and reliable data, obtained through increased collaboration with various partners.”
A strategic plan in three axes
Ms. Idrissi's presentation began with a reminder of the 2024-2026 strategic plan. This plan is based on three main axes. The first concerns the collection, reliability and analysis of data. It aims to improve information collection and processing systems to ensure their accuracy and relevance. The second axis concerns the strengthening of organizational capacities. This component aims to provide the Observatory with the skills and tools necessary to accomplish its missions effectively. Finally, the third axis is dedicated to communication, cooperation and awareness, in order to increase the visibility of the Observatory and strengthen its partnerships at national and international level. According to Ms. Idrissi, “engagement on these three strategic axes is crucial to guarantee a better understanding of economic dynamics and to provide decision-makers with solid bases for their policies.”
Progress in 2024
The progress recorded by the Observatory in 2024 concerned several aspects. In terms of data management, Ms. Idrissi explained that the Observatory has made significant progress in data processing. “We have worked to reduce collection and processing times, in particular through a strengthened partnership with our data providers,” she said. Thus, 2023 data on demographics and the economy were integrated more quickly than in previous years, allowing for more recent and relevant analysis.
In collaboration with entities such as the CNSS and the ADGI, the Observatory continued the automation of demographic and economic indicators, as well as the exploitation of data series on women's employment. These efforts have made it possible to make the available databases more reliable and enrich, while introducing innovative indicators such as the sectoral concentration index, in collaboration with the OECD.
The year 2024 also saw the publication of several key reports. The annual report, of which this is the fifth edition, covers developments in 2022 and 2023 while comparing the periods before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, regional reports have been published for nine of the twelve Moroccan regions, with a pilot project planned for 2025 to include the southern regions. Finally, a report on the productivity of private companies, produced jointly with the World Bank, explores in depth the microeconomic dynamics of the private sector.
In terms of working methods, the use of advanced technologies, such as machine learning, has enabled notable progress. “We developed a gender identification algorithm which increased our precision in the analysis of female entrepreneurship,” said Ms. Idrissi. At the same time, specialized training, notably in collaboration with the World Bank, has strengthened the skills of the teams.
In-depth analysis of 2024 results
The report details the results obtained on several essential aspects. Between 2017 and 2023, the number of businesses increased by 6% per year on average. However, this pace slowed to 3.3% in 2022-2023. Ms. Idrissi noted that “micro-enterprises remain predominant with 86.7% of the total, although their progress has slowed in recent years.” Regionally, Casablanca continues to dominate the productive fabric with 38% of companies, although this proportion is down compared to 2017. At the same time, regions such as Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma display positive dynamics, reflecting a slight deconcentration of economic activity.
After a fall in 2020, overall revenue rebounded in 2021 and reached 6% growth in 2023, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Ms. Idrissi stressed that “this recovery reflects the resilience of the Moroccan productive fabric, although large companies have benefited more from this dynamic.” Their share of turnover increased from 63% in 2017 to 66% in 2021.
In terms of financing, 149,000 companies accessed bank loans in 2024, representing a total outstanding amount of 622 billion dirhams. Ms. Idrissi specified that “small businesses benefit from a significant share of these credits, but large businesses continue to capture a dominant proportion of the available funds.”
In terms of employment, companies affiliated with the CNSS saw their workforce increase by 8% per year between 2016 and 2023. However, this progression slowed down after the pandemic, with a rate of 7%. Employment in the tertiary sector is booming, increasing from 62% to 67% of total employment.
Regarding a very sensitive subject, namely business failures, Ms. Idrissi drew attention to a significant increase in dissolutions in recent years. She explained that “while the annual rate of change in dissolutions was 2% before the Covid-19 crisis, it jumped to 11% between 2021 and 2023, reflecting the prolonged impact of successive crises on the economic fabric “. This trend is even more marked among companies less than five years old, which saw their dissolution rate increase from 2% to 17% over the same period. Ms. Idrissi noted that this dynamic mainly concerns the most vulnerable sectors, such as catering and services, while emphasizing that a portion of officially active businesses actually remain inactive. She concluded by saying that “these figures illustrate the urgent need to strengthen support for the most fragile businesses to enable them to overcome shocks”. Note also that almost 8% of companies are identified as “inactive”, without activity for two years in a row, but that they have not carried out the administrative procedures linked to bankruptcy, therefore are not counted in these failures…
Regarding female employment and entrepreneurship, Ms. Idrissi expressed concerns about the low participation of women in these areas. She underlined that “women represent only 33% of declared employees, a figure which has not increased since 2019, reflecting persistent obstacles to their integration”. Likewise, female entrepreneurship, which only constitutes 15% of total businesses, has remained stagnant for several years. Ms. Idrissi explained that this situation is linked to structural factors, including difficulties in accessing financing and a lack of support adapted to the specific needs of women entrepreneurs. She added that “further efforts are needed to overcome these obstacles and promote more equitable participation in the economic fabric.”
Challenges and perspectives for 2025
For the year 2025, Ms. Idrissi presented several strategic priorities. Expanding regional coverage is a major objective, with planned integration of southern regions through more representative data collections. At the same time, more granular studies will be carried out to analyze sectoral dynamics and assess the impact of public policies. Finally, the Observatory will continue to strengthen its international collaborations with institutions such as the OECD and the World Bank to align with global best practices.
Ms. Idrissi concluded by affirming that “the Observatory remains determined to provide reliable data and relevant analyzes to support decision-makers in their strategic choices.”
Selim Benabdelkhalek
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