RABAT, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Better job growth helped push Morocco's unemployment rate down to 10.5 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from 10.7 percent a year earlier, said the official High Commission for Planning on Sunday.
The commission said in a note that Morocco's economy created some 116,000 jobs between January and March compared to 109,000 during the same period last year.
Services, agriculture and construction created 50,000, 43,000 and 32,000 jobs respectively, according to the note. Manufacturing lost 9,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate in urban areas was slightly down from 15.7 percent to 15.6 percent, while it significantly decreased from 4.1 percent to 3.5 percent in rural areas due to bountiful rainfall.
Unemployment remains high among urban youth aged between 15 to 29, particularly graduates.
The Moroccan government has set it as one of the top goals to reduce the unemployment rate to 8.5 percent by 2021.
