Roadmap for Employment: 14 Billion Dirhams and Programs Targeting Vulnerable Groups
The Prime Minister announced that the government’s roadmap for employment aims to create 1.45 million jobs by 2030 and reduce the unemployment rate to 9%. He stated that the 2025 budget has allocated 14 billion dirhams for this purpose, distributed as follows:
- 12 billion dirhams to stimulate investment and create jobs
- 1 billion dirhams to maintain jobs in the agricultural sector
- 1 billion dirhams to support active employment programs
The roadmap emphasizes vulnerable groups and individuals without diplomas by supporting training through internships for 100,000 youths in 2025. The programs also include combating school dropouts and facilitating women’s entry into the labor market through supportive measures.
Akhennouch stressed that the government is relying on productive sectors, business digitization, and the outsourcing sector to expand job opportunities, with the tourism sector being stimulated through a roadmap aimed at attracting 17.5 million tourists and creating 200,000 new jobs.
4. Social Protection Reaches 11 Million Moroccans with 34 Billion Dirhams for Direct Support
The Prime Minister announced that mandatory health insurance now covers 88% of Moroccans, up from 42.2% prior to this initiative. Akhennouch clarified that over 4 million families, comprising more than 11.4 million citizens, benefit from free health coverage, with the state bearing the annual subscription cost of approximately 9.5 billion dirhams.
In a related context, the number of families benefiting from direct social support has reached about 4 million by April 2025, including:
- 5.5 million children
- More than 1 million seniors over 60
- 420,000 widows, including 340,000 without children who previously received no support
The government has injected 34 billion dirhams into this program since its launch, with expanded targeting and improved support disbursement mechanisms.
Additionally, the government has increased the health budget to 32.6 billion dirhams for 2025, a 65% increase compared to 2021, as part of a comprehensive reform of the health system.
5. Public Finances Recover: Budget Deficit Decreases and Debt Below 67%
The Prime Minister stated that Morocco’s financial situation has significantly improved, with the budget deficit declining from 7.1% in 2020 to 3.8% in 2024, and expected to drop to 3.5% by the end of 2025. He noted that public debt decreased to 67.7% of GDP in 2024, with the goal of falling below 67% this year.
Tax revenues jumped from 199 billion dirhams in 2020 to 300 billion dirhams in 2024, without increasing the tax burden.
The government has initiated structural tax reforms through:
- Gradual unification of corporate tax rates
- Simplification of value-added tax to cap at 20% and 10% by 2026
- Reforming income tax in line with the social dialogue agreement signed in April 2024
Moreover, the state’s ordinary revenues exceeded 143 billion dirhams, an increase compared to 2020, with an annual growth of 13%.
Akhennouch emphasized that the improvement in financial indicators has enabled Morocco to successfully access the international financial market and secure a new flexible credit line from the International Monetary Fund, enhancing international institutions’ confidence in the national economy.
