Rabat – Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, announced that professional training graduates have achieved a remarkable 90% insertion rate into the job market. He made his remarks during an interrogatory session at the House of Representatives on Monday.
Responding to queries about the outcomes of professional and university education, Sekkouri confirmed that 70% of professional training graduates enter the workforce immediately after completing their studies.
This percentage increases to more than 80% for graduates from specific training institutions and reaches 90% within three years of completing their diplomas.
Sekkouri also detailed sector-specific employment rates, noting 81% in the automotive industry, 70% in the electrical industry, and 66% in the artificial intelligence industry.
The minister expressed contentment with the government’s programs, citing the “Idmaj” initiative which has enabled 120,000 individuals to integrate the job market, including 35% from professional training institutes and 23% university graduates.
“Programs like ‘Tahfiz’ and ‘Awrach’ have provided employment opportunities for thousands, further supporting professional and university graduates,” stated Sekkouri.
“20,000 individuals have benefited from the ‘Tahfiz’ program, with 27% being graduates of professional training institutes and 25% university graduates,” he added.
As for the “Awrach” program, 10% of beneficiaries are graduates of professional training institutes and 13% are university graduates. He specified that more than 70% of beneficiaries from this program are from rural areas
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Spotlighting the government’s commitment to equitable access to professional training, Sekkouri pointed out the distribution of 2,055 professional training institutes nationwide.
This includes 420 under the Office of Professional Training and Employment Promotion, 275 institutes affiliated with government sectors (including about 67 in the agricultural sector), and 1,360 institutes in the private sector.
These institutions cater to nearly 418,000 learners, with facilities accommodating thousands in boarding and apprenticeship centers.
Regarding women’s participation in the workforce, Sekkouri revealed encouraging trends. According to figures from the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), over 33% of created job positions are occupied by women, reaching as high as 44% in certain sectors.
Although the numbers revealed by Sekkouri are encouraging, skepticism arose among parliament members regarding the minister’s statistics, questioning their alignment with current challenges such as rising unemployment rates and associated concerns in Morocco.
One of the parliament members argued that while initiatives like Awrach have helped mitigate the effects of joblessness, but have not fully eradicated the issue of unemployment.
According to the 2024 HCP report, Morocco experienced a net reduction of 80,000 jobs between the first quarters of 2023 and 2024. This decline included the loss of 159,000 positions in rural areas, many of which were unpaid, alongside the creation of 78,000 jobs in urban areas.
The national unemployment rate has risen from 12.9% to 13.7%. In urban areas, it increased from 17.1% to 17.6%, and in rural areas, it climbed from 5.7% to 6.8%. This highest rates of unemployment persists among young people aged 15 to 24 years (35.9%), graduates (20.3%), and women (20.1%).
