Morocco Jobless Rate Drops to 13% in Q4

The strict unemployment rate in Morocco stood at 10.8% in the first quarter of 2026, with 1.253 million unemployed out of a labor force of 11.62 million. Unemployment rate was higher among women at 16.1%, compared to men at 9.4%, while youth unemployment aged 15–24, remained elevated at 29.2%. Meanwhile, employment totaled 10.36 million, while the participation rate came in at 41.8%. The services sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 5.085 million jobs or 49.1% of total employment, followed by agriculture (2.541 million), industry (1.409 million), and construction (1.314 million). The latest figures are based on the newly introduced EMO 2026 labor force survey, which applies updated international standards. This includes a stricter definition of unemployment, limited to those actively seeking and available for work, and a revised concept of employment covering only paid or profit-generating activities, meaning the data are not directly comparable with previous series.

The unemployment rate in Morocco declined to 13.0% in Q4 2025, down from 13.3% in the same period a year earlier. The number of unemployed fell by 17,000 to 1.621 million, while employment increased by 194,000 to 10.87 million. Meanwhile, the labor force grew by 177,000 to 12.49 million. The unemployment rate among young people increased to 37.2% from 36.7%, while it fell to 19.1% from 19.6% among graduates and to 10.8% from 11.6% among men. Among the employed, the services sector created 123,000 new jobs, construction sector added 64,000, and the industrial sector contributed 46,000. In contrast, agriculture, forestry, and fishing lost 41,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate in Morocco decreased to 13.1% in Q3 2025, down from 13.6% in the same period a year earlier. The number of unemployed fell by 54,000 to 1.63 million, while employment increased by 167,000 to 10.83 million. Meanwhile, the labor force grew by 112,000 to 12.46 million. The unemployment rate among young people declined to 38.4% from 39.5%, while it fell to 19.0% from 19.8% among graduates and to 10.6% from 13.0% among men. Among the employed, the construction sector added 90,000 new jobs, the services sector created 94,000, and the industrial sector contributed 29,000. In contrast, agriculture, forestry, and fishing saw a decline of 47,000 jobs.