The strict unemployment rate in Morocco stood at 10.8% in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from the High Commission for Planning (HCP) on the state of the labor market.
The estimated unemployment rate in Morocco at 10.8%, which ranges from 13.5% in urban areas to 6.1% in rural areas, peaks at 16.1% for women compared to 9.4% for men, according to the HCP in an information note based on the results of the new Labour Force Survey (EMO 2026).
This is the first edition of a new generation of labor market surveys in Morocco, designed in accordance with the latest international standards adopted during the 19th, 20th and 21st International Conferences of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
According to the HCP, young people aged 15 to 24 remain the most exposed category with a rate of 29.2%, followed by those aged 25 to 34 (16.1%). In terms of volume, strict unemployment reached 1,253,000 people in Q1 2026, of whom 79.6% reside in urban areas and 31.3% are women. Among employed people with income, 671,000 are in a situation of underemployment related to working hours, of whom 52.9% reside in urban areas.
Regarding the potential labor force, it stood at 884,000 people, or 5.5% of the population outside the labor force, according to the same source.
The combined rate of strict unemployment and underemployment related to working hours, which measures the workforce experiencing insufficient working hours (full-time or part-time), stood at 16.6% in the first quarter of 2026. This rate is 18.3% in urban areas and 13.6% in rural areas. It peaks at 19.8% for women compared with 15.7% for men, according to the HCP.
As for the combined rate of strict unemployment and the potential workforce, which measures current and potential pressure on the labor market, it reached 17.1% (20.4% in urban areas and 11.2% in rural areas). A very marked gap is recorded between men and women; this rate is 27.9% for women compared with 13.9% for men.
