Unemployment is Increasing Among Young People
4 March 2006
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A Study on Youth Unemployment and Employment Funded by the ILO
More than 200,000 migrants arrive from the countryside each year
Tackling youth unemployment is a priority. Whether in industrialized or developing countries, the problem is the same. But there is no miracle cure. We are trying as best we can to put measures in place to support young people. Moreover, during the employment initiatives, organized with great fanfare in Skhirat, a series of measures were announced. But none have been implemented.
The Anapec, which should play a central role in implementing the system, has still not completed its restructuring. The tax incentives granted to businesses (raising the tax-deductible threshold from 4,500 to 6,000 DH and exemption from social charges) are at a standstill. And assistance to project leaders is slow to materialize.
The International Labour Organization is conducting a research program on youth employment. To this end, it has funded a study on "Youth Unemployment and Employability in Morocco". This study was carried out by two academics, Noureddine El Aoufi and Mohammed Bensaïd(1). The situation assessment drawn up by the two researchers is not new. But it has the advantage of reminding us that youth unemployment is closely linked to macro and micro-economic factors(2).
Demographic change thus plays an important role. The age structure of the population is characterized by a high proportion of young people: more than two-thirds of the population are under 35 years old and a little more than half are under 25. On the other hand, those under 15 are on a downward trend.
primarily an urban phenomenon
Population growth has been faster in urban areas: 3.5% on average during the period 1980-2002 compared to 0.6% in rural areas. It must also be said that unemployment is mainly an urban phenomenon. The youth unemployment rate has doubled since the late 1980s. In the space of two decades, it rose from 18.8% in 1982 to 37.6% in 2000. The 15-24 age group recorded an unemployment rate of 33.2% in 2004 compared to 26% for the 25-34 age group. The paradox in Morocco is that unemployment is high among educated young people. The chances of getting a job decrease with the diploma.
Urbanization and demographic imbalances are linked to problems of poverty and employment, which are the main causes of internal migration flows. Since the mid-1990s, an average of 200,000 people per year have migrated to cities. Young rural people make up more than a quarter of the migrants. This explains the tensions on the urban labor market. "The higher the level of education or qualification, the greater the propensity to migrate," explain the authors.
They also note that children aged 5 to 14 represent a quarter of the migrants. This fuels the labor supply of future young city dwellers. Here too, the number of girls who migrate is greater. A situation to be attributed, in part, to the phenomenon of "young maids" exploited in urban households. The study also notes a sharp increase in the active population over the last two decades: it rose from 49.9% in 1982 to 55.9% in 1994. It stood at 61.6% in 2002. In 2004, the active population was 11,015,000 people.
"The increase should exceed 65% by 2010, and result in the entry into activity of some 430,000 young people on average annually, thus helping to maintain pressure on the labor market," estimate the authors.
The activity rate rose from 47.3% in 1982 to 50.7% in 2002, while remaining stable in urban areas. In 2004, the activity rate stood at 52.6%. This evolution is to be attributed to the increase in underemployment and unpaid work in rural areas.
In fact, one of the main characteristics of this population is that it is predominantly young: four out of 10 active people were aged between 15 and 24 in 2002. By extending the category of young people to all 15-34 year-olds, active people would then represent more than half of the total active population. The activity rate of young people depends on the age group. It is low among 15-24 year-olds due to the increase in schooling rates. On the other hand, 25-34 year-olds record high activity rates (62.1% in 2002 and 64.7% in 2004). Young people only enter the labor market after the age of 24.
But these rates also hide disparities between urban and rural areas and between the two sexes. In the countryside, the activity rate of young people is higher. Similarly, that of men is higher than that of women.
K. M.
(1) Contacted by L'Economiste, the two researchers could not be reached.
(2) In the study, unemployment statistics end in 2002.
Published in L'Economiste on 13/2/2006
www.leconomiste.com
More than 200,000 migrants arrive from the countryside each year
Tackling youth unemployment is a priority. Whether in industrialized or developing countries, the problem is the same. But there is no miracle cure. We are trying as best we can to put measures in place to support young people. Moreover, during the employment initiatives, organized with great fanfare in Skhirat, a series of measures were announced. But none have been implemented.
The Anapec, which should play a central role in implementing the system, has still not completed its restructuring. The tax incentives granted to businesses (raising the tax-deductible threshold from 4,500 to 6,000 DH and exemption from social charges) are at a standstill. And assistance to project leaders is slow to materialize.
The International Labour Organization is conducting a research program on youth employment. To this end, it has funded a study on "Youth Unemployment and Employability in Morocco". This study was carried out by two academics, Noureddine El Aoufi and Mohammed Bensaïd(1). The situation assessment drawn up by the two researchers is not new. But it has the advantage of reminding us that youth unemployment is closely linked to macro and micro-economic factors(2).
Demographic change thus plays an important role. The age structure of the population is characterized by a high proportion of young people: more than two-thirds of the population are under 35 years old and a little more than half are under 25. On the other hand, those under 15 are on a downward trend.
primarily an urban phenomenon
Population growth has been faster in urban areas: 3.5% on average during the period 1980-2002 compared to 0.6% in rural areas. It must also be said that unemployment is mainly an urban phenomenon. The youth unemployment rate has doubled since the late 1980s. In the space of two decades, it rose from 18.8% in 1982 to 37.6% in 2000. The 15-24 age group recorded an unemployment rate of 33.2% in 2004 compared to 26% for the 25-34 age group. The paradox in Morocco is that unemployment is high among educated young people. The chances of getting a job decrease with the diploma.
Urbanization and demographic imbalances are linked to problems of poverty and employment, which are the main causes of internal migration flows. Since the mid-1990s, an average of 200,000 people per year have migrated to cities. Young rural people make up more than a quarter of the migrants. This explains the tensions on the urban labor market. "The higher the level of education or qualification, the greater the propensity to migrate," explain the authors.
They also note that children aged 5 to 14 represent a quarter of the migrants. This fuels the labor supply of future young city dwellers. Here too, the number of girls who migrate is greater. A situation to be attributed, in part, to the phenomenon of "young maids" exploited in urban households. The study also notes a sharp increase in the active population over the last two decades: it rose from 49.9% in 1982 to 55.9% in 1994. It stood at 61.6% in 2002. In 2004, the active population was 11,015,000 people.
"The increase should exceed 65% by 2010, and result in the entry into activity of some 430,000 young people on average annually, thus helping to maintain pressure on the labor market," estimate the authors.
The activity rate rose from 47.3% in 1982 to 50.7% in 2002, while remaining stable in urban areas. In 2004, the activity rate stood at 52.6%. This evolution is to be attributed to the increase in underemployment and unpaid work in rural areas.
In fact, one of the main characteristics of this population is that it is predominantly young: four out of 10 active people were aged between 15 and 24 in 2002. By extending the category of young people to all 15-34 year-olds, active people would then represent more than half of the total active population. The activity rate of young people depends on the age group. It is low among 15-24 year-olds due to the increase in schooling rates. On the other hand, 25-34 year-olds record high activity rates (62.1% in 2002 and 64.7% in 2004). Young people only enter the labor market after the age of 24.
But these rates also hide disparities between urban and rural areas and between the two sexes. In the countryside, the activity rate of young people is higher. Similarly, that of men is higher than that of women.
K. M.
(1) Contacted by L'Economiste, the two researchers could not be reached.
(2) In the study, unemployment statistics end in 2002.
Published in L'Economiste on 13/2/2006
www.leconomiste.com
