Persistence of unemployment, increase in underemployment, rural areas in crisis… alert from the HCP

In a seventh year marked by drought, the agricultural sector continues to be hit hard by the effects of climatic hazards, especially jobs which continue to plummet. This is evidenced by the latest information note from the High Commission for Planning, which reports a loss of 17,000 jobs in rural areas during the third quarter of the current year.

As a result, the unemployment rate increased from 13.5% to 13.6% at the national level, stagnating at 17% in urban areas and increasing from 7% to 7.4 in rural areas. More precisely, the number of unemployed increased by 58,000 people between the third quarter of 2023 and that of 2024, going from 1,625,000 to 1,683,000 unemployed, including 42,000 in urban areas and 16,000 in rural areas.

According to the HCP, increases in the unemployment rate are recorded among young people aged 15 to 24 (+ 1.3 points), going from 38.2% to 39.5%, among people aged 45 and over. (+0.4 point), from 3.7% to 4.1% and among women (+1 point), from 19.8% to 20.8%.

According to the type of diploma, with the exception of holders of technician and middle management diplomas, who experienced an increase in the unemployment rate of 2.3 points, and qualifying secondary education (+0.5 point), the other categories of graduates saw their unemployment rate fall.

The largest drop was observed among higher education graduates (-1.6 points), from 26.5% to 24.9%, notes the HCP.

Regarding the volume of active workers in a situation of underemployment, it increased by 60,000 people, between the third quarter of 2023 and the same period of 2024, going from 1,005,000 to 1,066,000 people at the national level, from 523,000 to 590,000 people in urban areas and 482,000 to 476,000 in rural areas.

The underemployment rate thus rose from 9.6% to 10% at the national level, from 8.1% to 8.8% in urban areas, while it remained stable at 12% in rural areas.

As for the volume of the employed active population in a situation of underemployment linked to the number of hours worked, it increased from 501,000 to 584,000 people at the national level. The corresponding rate increased from 4.8% to 5.5%.

The employed active population in a situation of underemployment linked to insufficient income or the mismatch between training and the job carried out increased from 505,000 to 482,000 people at the national level. The corresponding rate fell from 4.8% to 4.5%.

By sector of activity, the construction sector is the most affected by underemployment, recording a significant increase with +1 point (from 18.9% to 19.9%), followed by the agriculture sector, forestry and fishing with 0.7 points (from 11.2% to 11.9%).

The latest HCP note indicates that five regions are home to 72.4% of all workers aged 15 and over. The Casablanca-Settat region comes in first position with 22.3% of assets, followed by Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (13.7%), Marrakech-Safi (12.9%), Fès-Meknes (11.9%). %) and Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima (11.6%).

Four regions recorded activity rates higher than the national average (43.6%). These are the regions of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (47.6%), Casablanca-Settat (45.7%), South (45.4%) and Marrakech-Safi (43.7%). . On the other hand, the lowest rates are recorded in the regions of Drâa-Tafilalet (38.7%), Béni Mellal-Khénifra (39.6%), Oriental (40.2%) and SoussMassa ( 41.7%), according to the same note.

Furthermore, six regions concentrate more than three quarters of unemployed people (78.1%) at the national level. The Casablanca-Settat region comes in first position with 24.9%, followed by Fès-Meknes (13.3%), Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (11.9%), Oriental (10.2% ) and Marrakech-Safi (9.4%) and Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima (8.4%).

According to the note, the highest unemployment rates are recorded in the regions of South (24.3%), Oriental (21.4%), Casablanca-Settat (15.3%) and Fès-Meknes ( 15.2%). On the other hand, the regions of Marrakech-Safi and Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma display the lowest rates, with 9.9%.