Employment in Morocco: sectors that recruit in Casablanca

The Casablanca region is the most dynamic in Morocco and logically the one with the most active labor market. Overview of sectors and companies that are recruiting.

Every year, about 135,000 people hope to find a job in Morocco. But in the face of this demand, supply does not follow, as illustrated by the latest figures published by the High Commission for Planning (HCP): between the second quarter of 2017 and that of 2018, 117,000 jobs were created. With an unemployment rate of around 9%, becoming more pronounced for young graduates, finding a job can be difficult but not in vain.

Very attractive, Casablanca, the epicenter of the Moroccan economy certainly has the largest number of companies in the recruitment phase but also a large number of job seekers. The city and its region account for 26.9% of the GDP of the Cherifian Kingdom, ahead of its neighbor Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (14.9%).

Digital in the spotlight

Local recruitment agencies seem to agree that the sector that is recruiting massively at the moment is that of new information and communication technologies (NICT), and more specifically IT-related jobs. In this sector, the most greedy recruiters are French digital service companies, such as Atos, Capgemini or Alten in Fez. These companies, which also have a high turnover rate, recruit around ten profiles each month and draw on engineering schools before the end of each year.

Other dynamic sectors are the automotive, aeronautics, rail and high-tech industries, which have become engines for the country’s economy. “Those who recruit are mainly equipment manufacturers from the various manufacturers in the various free zones of Nouaceur, Tangier and Kenitra,” explains Marc Chalet, recruitment manager at Diorh, one of the leading players in the consulting and human resources development business in Morocco.

Salaries

The Moroccan labor market is very heterogeneous and does not allow for reliable statistics on wages offered. Typically, the candidate negotiates individually with the recruiter. “Wages paid to young graduates depend strongly on the nature of their training, but also on the type of firm that recruits,” says Philippe Montant. For holders of a 5-year higher education diploma from a business school, the salary range is around MAD 8,000 net (about 730 euros) and MAD 2,000 more for engineers.

“Multinationals in the same sector agree, indirectly of course, never to exceed a threshold for a particular position. Thus, the candidate cannot raise the stakes, especially if he has no experience,” points out a human resources specialist who wished to remain anonymous. The latter specifies, moreover, that development depends on the employee himself and the open-mindedness of his superiors.

Opportunities for young graduates

“Due in particular to the crisis that hit the country at the same time as Europe, companies recruit young graduates more easily because they are cheaper,” admits Philippe Montant de Rekrute.

Still, the start of the school year is a period that serves to renew teams and replace departures. A period of opportunities for the 710,000 first-time job seekers counted by Bank Al Maghrib and among them, young graduates.

The most difficult thing for candidates is to have to carry out missions below their skills or accept salaries considered low in relation to their level of training. In the case of support functions, recruiters admit that the abundant demand from Moroccan schools such as the National School of Commerce and Management (ENCG) or the Higher Institute of Commerce and Business Administration (ISCAE), makes it possible to compete and reduce the salaries offered to first-time applicants.

“It is then necessary to agree to make certain compromises to start because the most important thing is to put your foot in the door so that you can then prove yourself in the field and evolve. A recruiter will be even more attentive to the professional achievements of the experienced candidate in front of him than to the academic training he will have received,” concludes Malik Touimi Benjelloun.

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