• Morocco’s unemployment rate hit 12.8% in Q2 2025, with 35.8% youth unemployment among 15-24 year-olds.
• The government announced a sweeping reform of ANAPEC, which currently reaches only 14% of new jobseekers.
• The reform aims to create 1.45 million jobs by 2030 and cut unemployment to 9%, relying on digital tools, private sector partnerships, and targeted youth programs.

Morocco is moving to overhaul its public employment agency as joblessness among young people reaches alarming levels. The Office of the High Commissioner for Planning (HCP) reported on August 18 that unemployment stood at 12.8% in the second quarter of 2025, with a staggering 35.8% among 15-24 year-olds.

The data underscore the limitations of the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC), which has failed to fully deliver on its mission of connecting jobseekers with opportunities.

To confront this crisis, the government has launched a major reform of ANAPEC to modernize its legal status, improve efficiency, and optimize resources. Today, only 14% of newly registered jobseekers benefit from ANAPEC’s services, whether through physical offices or digital platforms.

The reform is aligned with the 2022-2026 strategic development plan and Morocco’s national roadmap for employment promotion, which aims to reduce unemployment to 9% and generate 1.45 million jobs by 2030.

For now, the operational details of the reform remain under discussion. Yet its effectiveness will rest on successfully combining digital transformation, personalised support for young people, and stronger synergies with private sector actors to deliver visible results.

Consolidating programmes like IDMAJ, which helps connect young people to jobs and qualifying internships, and TAHFIZ, which accelerates vocational training and labour market integration, will be a critical step. Measuring progress must also go beyond placement figures to assess job quality and career trajectories, guaranteeing sustainable integration into the workforce.

By leveraging proven practices at home and abroad, fostering meaningful business involvement, and making youth the core of the system, Morocco has the potential to transform this initiative into a genuine driver of social stability and inclusive economic growth.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum