Morocco: Unemployment reaches 12.5% in first quarter of 2021
![Men working at a restaurant is seen in Rabat, Morocco on December 14, 2020 [Jalal Morchidi/Anadolu Agency]](https://i1.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201217_2_45901410_60707106.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1)
The unemployment rate in Morocco rose to 12.5 per cent during the first quarter of 2021, compared to 10.5 per cent during the same period in 2020.
In a statement issued yesterday, the High Commission for Planning of Morocco – the official body in charge of statistics – attributed the rise to the continued repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic on the country’s economy.
The commission said that the number of unemployed people increased by 242,000 during the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year, bringing the number of those without a job to 1.5 million, compared to 1.2 million in 2020.
The unemployment rate among women reached 17.5 per cent, while the number of unemployed men was estimated at 10.9 per cent. Unemployment among university graduates is highest at 19.8 per cent.
Unemployment in urban areas was recorded at 15.1 per cent, compared to 5.3 per cent in rural areas.
The commission added that 231,000 job opportunities were lost in the agricultural sector and 48,000 in the industrial sector, while the services sector witnessed the creation of 42,000 new job opportunities, and 39,000 in the construction and public works sector.
