Barriers to employment and education for young migrants in Morocco
This snapshot explores the employment realities and educational needs of young migrants (aged 18 to 24) in Morocco, based on data collected by the Association Migration Internationale (AMI). This study is based on a survey with 369 migrants, conducted in May and June 2024 among young people aged 18 to 24.
Français: Ce snapshot explore l’emploi et les besoins éducatifs des jeunes migrant·e·s (18 à 24 ans) au Maroc, sur la base des données recueillies par l’Association Migration Internationale (AMI). Cette étude repose sur 369 enquêtes menées en mai et juin 2024 auprès de jeunes âgé·e·s de 18 à 24 ans.
More than half (59%) of respondents report having a source of income in Morocco. Access to income is more common in major economic centres such as Casablanca (85%) and Rabat (74%) compared to Oujda (13%), which is more often characterised as a short-term transit area.
Young respondents who are employed report working primarily in the construction sector (45%), within small businesses (31%) and in the domestic sector (15%). These sectors generally have an informal structure, modest levels of remuneration and limited social protection.
41% of respondents report having no source of income. Among them, 92% say that they are unable to find employment, mainly due to limited opportunities (69%), lack of information (40%), or because they are not authorised to work (22%) due to their administrative status.
Even among respondents who are employed at the time of the interview, the majority (64%) reported needing assistance to find employment, indicating that the precarious nature of their work creates a constant need for access to decent, more stable and better-paid opportunities.
Only 7% of young people without an income identify a lack of qualifications as an immediate barrier to accessing employment. Nevertheless, among all young people surveyed, 46% express a need for vocational training, highlighting the importance placed on acquiring practical skills to facilitate access to better employment opportunities in Morocco or to support their migration plans.
Among those who report needing vocational training, the most requested fields are trade and distribution (39%), electronics/electricity (31%) and construction (29%). These sectors align with the most common employment sectors among migrants in Morocco, particularly in the cities surveyed, where activities such as trade, services and construction dominate.
