Morocco proposes solutions to youth unemployment
3 January 2012
Read by 2130 persons
A new study highlights the lack of opportunities facing many young Moroccans in terms of employment.
The Moroccan Economic and Social Council published a new report last week recommending ten measures to address the persistent problem of youth unemployment.
This report, published on December 23 in Rabat, calls on the authorities to adopt regulatory reforms and strengthen vocational training opportunities. It is the result of ten months of research and discussions with the various stakeholders involved.
The Council recalls that young graduates are the social category hardest hit by unemployment, which is often synonymous with length and great uncertainty. Nearly two-thirds of young people have been unemployed for more than a year. The jobs they hold are often poorly paid, rarely formalized, and very rarely covered by social protection schemes. More than 40 percent of young people hold underpaid jobs, and less than ten percent have health insurance. Finally, more than 80 percent of young workers have no employment contract.
According to the President of the Council Chakib Benmoussa, this study shows that the issue of youth employment is complex and requires long-term structural reforms. In addition, for the Council, the training system must be adapted to the requirements of the labor market and employment policies must be implemented at the regional level.
The Council's recommendations focus on improving the current employment promotion system by setting up a governance structure supported by an observatory. They also concern the reform of the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills. The idea is to enable this institution to play its role as a decentralized implementing agency in partnership with private or associative actors and to strengthen its labor market intermediation services.
Another recommendation is to support small businesses through mentoring, spin-offs, subcontracting and partnerships, as well as facilitating financing. The objective is to encourage self-employment.
The government will also have to develop income-generating activities by identifying sectors and setting up marketing spaces, according to the Council, whose report also calls for the establishment of short-term employment contracts, ranging from three months to two years.
Several recommendations also focus on vocational training, calling for the implementation of training courses adapted to specific needs. Companies must contribute to this by participating in the training process, according to the Council.
Furthermore, this report indicates that improving the regulatory framework is necessary by adjusting social charges for small businesses, strictly applying the law on the cumulation of jobs for civil servants, activating sectoral collective agreements and amending the regulations to facilitate the employment of disabled people.
The proposed measures aim to provide answers to restore confidence in young people, although they are only partial solutions, commented Mohamed Titna Alaoui, President of the Commission on Training, Employment and Sectoral Policies.
The new Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane is fully aware of the difficulties facing unemployed young people, especially those with diplomas. Some organized a sit-in in front of the parliament building during its first plenary session on Monday, December 19. Others chanted slogans criticizing the former head of government, Abbas El Fassi, in front of the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party during a negotiation meeting that led to the formation of the government.
Benkirane has repeatedly stated that the fight against unemployment is a priority. In its electoral program, the PJD pledged to reduce unemployment to seven percent, two points less than its current official level.
This content was produced at the request of Magharebia.com.
Siham Ali
Published on December 29, 2011.
Posted online on January 3, 2012.
The Moroccan Economic and Social Council published a new report last week recommending ten measures to address the persistent problem of youth unemployment.
This report, published on December 23 in Rabat, calls on the authorities to adopt regulatory reforms and strengthen vocational training opportunities. It is the result of ten months of research and discussions with the various stakeholders involved.
The Council recalls that young graduates are the social category hardest hit by unemployment, which is often synonymous with length and great uncertainty. Nearly two-thirds of young people have been unemployed for more than a year. The jobs they hold are often poorly paid, rarely formalized, and very rarely covered by social protection schemes. More than 40 percent of young people hold underpaid jobs, and less than ten percent have health insurance. Finally, more than 80 percent of young workers have no employment contract.
According to the President of the Council Chakib Benmoussa, this study shows that the issue of youth employment is complex and requires long-term structural reforms. In addition, for the Council, the training system must be adapted to the requirements of the labor market and employment policies must be implemented at the regional level.
The Council's recommendations focus on improving the current employment promotion system by setting up a governance structure supported by an observatory. They also concern the reform of the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills. The idea is to enable this institution to play its role as a decentralized implementing agency in partnership with private or associative actors and to strengthen its labor market intermediation services.
Another recommendation is to support small businesses through mentoring, spin-offs, subcontracting and partnerships, as well as facilitating financing. The objective is to encourage self-employment.
The government will also have to develop income-generating activities by identifying sectors and setting up marketing spaces, according to the Council, whose report also calls for the establishment of short-term employment contracts, ranging from three months to two years.
Several recommendations also focus on vocational training, calling for the implementation of training courses adapted to specific needs. Companies must contribute to this by participating in the training process, according to the Council.
Furthermore, this report indicates that improving the regulatory framework is necessary by adjusting social charges for small businesses, strictly applying the law on the cumulation of jobs for civil servants, activating sectoral collective agreements and amending the regulations to facilitate the employment of disabled people.
The proposed measures aim to provide answers to restore confidence in young people, although they are only partial solutions, commented Mohamed Titna Alaoui, President of the Commission on Training, Employment and Sectoral Policies.
The new Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane is fully aware of the difficulties facing unemployed young people, especially those with diplomas. Some organized a sit-in in front of the parliament building during its first plenary session on Monday, December 19. Others chanted slogans criticizing the former head of government, Abbas El Fassi, in front of the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party during a negotiation meeting that led to the formation of the government.
Benkirane has repeatedly stated that the fight against unemployment is a priority. In its electoral program, the PJD pledged to reduce unemployment to seven percent, two points less than its current official level.
This content was produced at the request of Magharebia.com.
Siham Ali
Published on December 29, 2011.
Posted online on January 3, 2012.
