Morocco: the labour market
Labour force is 12.6m (2025), 48th of 187 in the world and 6th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Participation rate is 43.9% (2025), 169th of 187 in the world and 14th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Women's participation is 19.7% (2025), 176th of 187 in the world and 13th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Labour: Morocco in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 12.6m2025 | 48/187 | 6/23 | 9.6m | 11.4m | 11.9m | +6.9%since 2015 | 264m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 43.9%2025 | 169/187 | 14/23 | 51.3% | 49.6% | 44.5% | −3.5 ppsince 2015 | 47.4% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 19.7%2025 | 176/187 | 13/23 | 24.9% | 25.5% | 20.7% | −4.7 ppsince 2015 | 19.7% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 40.0%2025 | 167/187 | 11/23 | 44.4% | 45.1% | 39.6% | −3.0 ppsince 2015 | 43.7% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 9.0%2025 | 45/187 | 12/23 | 13.6% | 9.1% | 11.2% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 7.8% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 10.6%2025 | 48/187 | 15/23 | 13.0% | 9.5% | 12.2% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 12.1% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 21.9%2025 | 40/187 | 12/23 | 20.4% | 17.6% | 26.8% | +1.1 ppsince 2015 | 18.7% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 35.3%2014 | — | — | · | · | · | — | 32.2% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 59.9%2025 | 108/187 | 17/23 | 50.3% | 54.7% | 58.6% | +2.4 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 35.5%2025 | 76/187 | 6/23 | 47.6% | 41.7% | 36.9% | −2.2 ppsince 2015 | 36.1% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 27.9%2025 | 65/187 | 4/23 | 45.1% | 40.5% | 32.0% | −8.2 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 23.8%2025 | 51/187 | 14/23 | 20.6% | 21.6% | 22.6% | +1.7 ppsince 2015 | 26.6% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 48.3%2025 | 135/187 | 21/23 | 34.2% | 37.9% | 45.4% | +6.4 ppsince 2015 | 51.7% | 37.8% | 50.6% |
Better than ten years ago
- Unemployment−0.5 pp9.0% in 2025
- Wage workers+2.4 pp59.9% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−2.2 pp35.5% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−4.7 pp19.7% in 2025
- Employment rate−3.0 pp40.0% in 2025
- Female unemployment+0.2 pp10.6% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+1.1 pp21.9% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Morocco and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Morocco. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Morocco | Spain | Algeria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 12.6m2025 | 24.8m2025 | 13.6m2025 |
| Participation rate | 43.9%2025 | 57.4%2025 | 40.8%2025 |
| Women's participation | 19.7%2025 | 52.8%2025 | 14.1%2025 |
| Employment rate | 40.0%2025 | 51.5%2025 | 36.0%2025 |
| Unemployment | 9.0%2025 | 10.4%2025 | 11.6%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 10.6%2025 | 11.9%2025 | 20.6%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 21.9%2025 | 24.7%2025 | 29.4%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 35.3%2014 | 9.4%2025 | 20.9%2017 |
| Wage workers | 59.9%2025 | 85.5%2025 | 69.8%2025 |