Rabat: Morocco’s unemployment rate declined by 0.4 percentage points between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025, falling from 13.7% to 13.3%.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, this rate stood at 16.6% in urban areas, a decrease of 1 point, while rural areas saw an increase of 0.5 points, reaching 7.3%. Among men, unemployment decreased by 0.5 points to 11.5%, and among women, it fell by 0.2 points to 19.9%.

The total number of unemployed persons dropped by 1%, reaching 1,630,000. This includes a decrease of 40,000 in urban areas and an increase of 25,000 in rural areas. Among youth aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate rose by 1.8 points to 37.7%. However, it declined by 0.8 points to 21.2% among those aged 25 to 34, by 0.5 points to 7.5% among those aged 35 to 44, and by 0.6 points to 3.9% among those aged 45 and over.

The unemployment rate among graduates also dropped by 0.9 points, reaching 19.4%. The decline was most notable among holders of technician and mid-level management diplomas, which fell by 3.9 points to 24%, and vocational qualification diplomas, which fell by 3.6 points to 21.9%.

Additionally, the number of underemployed workers increased nationally from 1,069,000 to 1,254,000 between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025. This rise was observed in both urban areas, from 571,000 to 662,000, and rural areas, from 499,000 to 592,000. Consequently, the underemployment rate rose by 1.5 points nationally, reaching 11.8%. It increased by 2.3 points in rural areas, reaching 14.8%, and by 1 point in urban areas, reaching 10%.

Underemployment based on the number of hours worked rose from 576,000 to 664,000 people nationally, with the corresponding rate increasing from 5.6% to 6.3%. The number of underemployed individuals due to insufficient income or a mismatch between training and the job held increased from 493,000 to 590,000 nationwide, with the rate going up from 4.8% to 5.6%.

All sectors recorded an increase in underemployment. The construction and public works sector saw the sharpest rise with an increase of 3.6 points, moving from 19% to 22.6%. This was followed by agriculture, forestry, and fishing with a rise of 2.3 points, from 12.1% to 14.4%. Industry saw an increase of 1 point, from 6.3% to 7.3%, and services experienced a rise of 0.7 points, from 8.3% to 9%.