RABAT, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The unemployment rate in Morocco only slightly dropped to 9.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018, down from 9.3 percent a year ago, the official planning commission said Saturday.
The unemployment rate in urban areas was down from 14 percent to 13.7 percent, while it decreased from 3.2 percent to 3 percent in rural areas, according to a note by the High Commission for Planning.
The decrease in unemployment came in disproportion with the active job creation between the second quarter of 2017 and the second quarter of this year, during which some 117,000 new jobs were created, compared to only 74,000 jobs a year earlier.
Unemployment remains high among women and urban youth, particularly college graduates, HCP said.
The Moroccan government has vowed to reduce the unemployment rate to 8.5 percent by 2021.
On Wednesday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco sacked Mohamed Boussaid as minister for the economy and finance, three days after he urged a national action to tackle social and economic problems including meager investments.
