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Younes Skouri Confirms: Rural Youth Employment is a National Initiative with 167,000 New Jobs
In a written response to a question regarding employment for rural youth, Younes Skouri, the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, emphasized that addressing youth unemployment, especially in rural areas, has become a strategic national initiative intersecting economic, social, educational, and regional dimensions. He stated that employment is a reflection of growth, an indicator of effective public policies, and a guarantee of citizens’ dignity and social stability.
The minister announced the creation of 167,000 new jobs nationwide, of which 164,000 are in urban areas and 3,000 in rural areas. He clarified that this improvement stems from an increase of 220,000 in paid employment, contrasted with a decrease of 54,000 in unpaid jobs.
By sector, the services sector led the way with the creation of 94,000 jobs, followed by construction and public works with 90,000 jobs, and industry with 29,000 jobs, while the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector lost approximately 47,000 jobs.
The number of unemployed individuals decreased by 55,000 between the third quarter of 2024 and the same quarter in 2025, dropping from 1.683 million to 1.629 million, representing a 3% decline due to a reduction of 29,000 in urban unemployment and 25,000 in rural unemployment.
Regarding the unemployment rate, it decreased among youth aged 15 to 24 by 1.1 percentage points, stabilizing at 38.4%. It slightly decreased among those aged 25 to 34 by 0.1 percentage points to 20.8% and by 0.8 percentage points among graduates, settling at 19%. There was a slight increase among those with secondary education by 0.5 percentage points and for higher education graduates by 0.4 percentage points, while a noticeable decline occurred among technicians and intermediate professionals by 2.3 percentage points.
Skouri noted that active employment programs are a cornerstone in combating unemployment, highlighting that between 2021 and September 2025, around 776,000 job seekers benefited from individual counseling sessions, and 503,800 participated in job search workshops.
Moreover, more than 665,820 job seekers were integrated through wage support programs, with 86% via integration programs and 14% through incentives directed at newly established businesses, associations, and cooperatives.
Approximately 368,000 individuals benefited from employability improvement programs, which included contractual and qualifying training, support for promising sectors, in addition to preschool and distance learning programs, along with national and regional partnerships.
In terms of self-employment support, around 33,000 entrepreneurs received guidance, leading to the establishment of over 11,000 economic units, providing more than 17,000 jobs.
Regarding the “Ouirash” program, the minister confirmed that its first two phases enabled 224,371 individuals to benefit out of a target of 250,000, achieving a completion rate of 90%. He noted that women constituted 32.4% of beneficiaries, while 66.2% were unqualified job seekers.
The minister highlighted the experience in the Marrakech-Safi region, where, from 2019 to September 2025, eight youth employment centers were established, benefiting over 40,000 job seekers, with around 17,000 integrated into the labor market, 65% of whom found salaried positions.
Eight entrepreneurial support centers were also created, providing training for 15,597 youths through professional internships, achieving an integration rate exceeding 60%, in addition to supporting 372 very small businesses and cooperatives.
Skouri confirmed the reliance on periodic scientific evaluations of programs based on performance indicators, monitoring integration rates, and comparing beneficiary data with information from the National Social Security Fund to measure the actual impact on the formal labor market.
A national study of the integration program revealed that 64.4% of beneficiaries in 2020 were reported in the organized sector between 2021 and 2023, compared to 60.8% in a previous study, with the gender gap narrowed to 5.7 percentage points in 2023.
Based on these results, new measures were adopted, including providing trainees with mandatory basic health insurance during the training period and the state’s assumption of the employer’s share of social security contributions for 12 months upon final employment, along with obliging businesses to hire at least 60% of successfully trained trainees.
The minister concluded that the government continues to enhance the effectiveness of employment stimulation programs, with special attention to rural youth through a comprehensive approach that combines economic incentives, training, support, and regional development.
