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El Otmani: Contribution of the Informal Sector Drops to 10.9%, Government Accelerates Its Integration into the Structured Economy
Younes Sekkouri, the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, confirmed that the results of the national survey on unregulated production units for the years 2023-2024 reflect significant transformations in the structure of the informal sector in Morocco. He emphasized that integrating this sector into the regulated economy is a strategic priority for the government.
In a written response to a parliamentary question, the minister explained that the contribution of the informal sector to national production, excluding agriculture and public administration, has declined to 10.9% in 2023, down from 15% in 2014. He noted that this relative decrease indicates a gradual integration of some activities into the organized economic cycle.
Conversely, the value of production has increased from 409.4 billion dirhams in 2014 to 526.9 billion dirhams in 2023, and the number of jobs has also risen from 2.37 million to 2.53 million during the same period, despite a decrease in the informal employment rate to 33.1% of total non-agricultural employment.
Sectoral distribution shows that commerce accounts for 44.1% of informal employment, followed by services at 28.7%, industry at 15%, and construction and public works at 12.2%. Urban areas host 77.6% of this employment, with the Casablanca-Settat region leading at 23.2%, followed by Marrakech-Safi at 14%, and Rabat-Salé-Kenitra at 12.9%.
Sekkouri highlighted the precarious conditions in this sector, stating that wage employment constitutes only 10.4% of total employment, with 60% of workers lacking employment contracts, while 77% work under personal or familial relationships. Moreover, single-person units account for 85.5%, reducing the average size of production entities to 1.2 individuals.
Regarding the measurement of the informal sector’s size, the minister noted that the percentage of workers benefiting from health coverage reached 29.3% in 2023. The informal employment rate is estimated at around 36% of the total active working population, based on a methodology that considers the difference between the total active workforce of 10.673 million in 2024 and those registered with the National Social Security Fund and the public sector.
Sekkouri affirmed that the government has launched a national employment roadmap aimed at creating 1.45 million jobs and reducing the unemployment rate to 9% by 2030, with an additional 15 billion dirhams allocated for 2025. The implementation of social protection extension for 11 million freelancers and informal workers continues, alongside support for the self-employed through tax and legal incentives.
The minister revealed that between 2021 and the end of September 2025, over 776,000 job seekers have been guided and supported, with 872,500 people integrated through the “Awrach,” “Idmaj,” and “Tahfiz” programs, in addition to the establishment of more than 11,000 businesses to support self-employment, creating 17,400 job positions.
He concluded by stressing that the challenge lies in accelerating the integration of the informal sector into the structured economy, enhancing decent work conditions, and expanding social protection for millions of workers.
