Chakib Benmoussa revealed alarming data highlighting major socio-economic challenges for Morocco. The press conference held on December 17 in Rabat highlighted a worrying situation regarding unemployment and the activity rate, marking a significant deterioration compared to 2014 data.
At the same time, the unemployment rate has exploded, reaching 21.3% in 2024 compared to 16.2% in 2014. This figure rises to 29.6% among women, illustrating profound inequality in the labor market. Rural areas are also hard hit by unemployment, with this rate increasing from 10.5% in 2014 to 21.4% in 2024. Urban areas recorded a smaller gap, with the rate standing at 21.2% in 2024 compared to 19.3% in 2014. Significant regional disparities are also observed, with six regions exceeding the national average, led by Guelmim-Oued Noun and the Oriental with respective rates of 31.5 and 30.4%. The lowest rate was recorded in Dakhla-Oued Eddahab, i.e. 10.6%.
Portrait of the Moroccan economic fabric: more than 1.3 million georeferenced establishments
Chakib Benmoussa also revealed interesting data on the Moroccan economic fabric. With 1,304,564 active establishments (excluding agriculture), including 1,130,021 for-profit establishments generating 3.6 million permanent jobs, the table is rich in lessons.
A dominant private sector
The mapping of economic establishments in Morocco indicates that for-profit establishments represent a colossal share of the total (86.6%), confirming the preponderance of the private sector in the national economy, public establishments (11.3%) and those non-profit (2.1%) being in the minority.
Services, commerce and industry: the pillars of the economy
The survey also reveals a diversified but uneven sectoral distribution. The services sector, despite a concentration of 30.8% of establishments, represents a major weight in terms of employment, with 36% of permanent positions. Commerce, with 52% of establishments, contributes 29.6% to employment. Industry, although less represented in number of establishments (13.7%), generates 29.8% of jobs, highlighting its importance in wealth creation. Finally, construction, with 3.5% of establishments, contributes 4.6% to employment.
Unequal geographical distribution
The geographical distribution of establishments reveals regional disparities. Rabat-Salé-Kénitra concentrates the largest share (13.2%), followed closely by the southern regions (Dakhla-Oued Eddahab and Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra). Significant differences exist between regions, highlighting the need for a more equitable economic development policy.
SME: an asset and a challenge
The Moroccan economic fabric is largely made up of small structures. 97.3% of establishments employ fewer than 10 people, contributing to 54.2% of total employment. If this predominance of SMEs is an asset for business creation, it also poses challenges in terms of creating stable and lasting jobs. The largest structures (more than 50 employees), although in the minority (0.5%), provide 32.7% of jobs.
Women leaders: a limited presence
Languages: a quarter of the population uses Amazigh
Beyond economic data, RGPH 2024 also highlighted the linguistic situation in Morocco. A quarter of the population (24.8%) uses Amazigh, with a greater proportion in rural areas (33.3%) than in urban areas (19.9%). However, only a tiny part of the population (1.5%) is able to read and write in Amazigh (Tifinagh writing). In comparison, almost the entire literate population over the age of 10 masters reading and writing Arabic (99.2%). Mastery of French (57.7%) and English (20.5%) also presents significant gaps between urban and rural areas. Moroccan Darija remains the language most used by the population (91.9%), while Hassani is used by 0.8% of the population, mainly in the southern provinces.
