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Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Moroccan economy grew 4.8% in Q1
RABAT, June 30 (Reuters) - Morocco's economy grew 4.8% in the first quarter this year, compared with 3% the same period last year, the national statistics agency HCP said. The growth was driven by an improvement in farming and industrial activities, which grew 4.6% and 4.5% respectively, HCP said in a report. Growth was also supported by an 8% increase in domestic demand in the first three months this year, from 4% the same period last year, offsetting a negative contribution of foreign trade to economic growth, it said.
Morocco World
20-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Records 0.4% Dip in Living Costs in May, Inflation Persists Year-on-Year
Rabat – Morocco's cost of living edged down slightly in May, offering brief relief to households after months of price uncertainty. According to data from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), the consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.4% compared to April, pulled down mainly by declines in food and fuel prices. The drop in food prices, down 0.8% overall, reflected lower costs for everyday staples. Vegetables dropped by 2.1%, fish and seafood by 1.7%, meat by 1.5%, and dairy products by 1%. Basic items like bread, cereals, fruits, and cooking oils also saw slight declines. Only one category, coffee, tea, and cocoa, went up, rising by 0.8%. Non-food products saw a smaller shift, with a 0.1% decline. Fuel prices, however, fell more sharply, by 2.7%, easing transport costs for many. Across the country, the biggest local drops appeared in Beni-Mellal, Safi, and Tangier, where prices decreased by more than 1%. Smaller declines affected cities like Fez, Casablanca, and Rabat. However, some areas, including Laayoune and Al Hoceima, recorded slight increases. Compared to last year, prices rose by 0.4% in May. Food went up by 0.5%, and non-food goods by 0.3%. Within the non-food category, transportation costs fell significantly, by 4.3%, while restaurant and hotel prices climbed by nearly 4%. Meanwhile, core inflation, which excludes the most volatile items like food and energy, held steady compared to April but stood 1.1% higher than a year earlier. In simple terms, Morocco's inflation appears to cool slightly, driven by seasonal dips in food and global fuel adjustments. Yet, inflation remains a nuisance to Moroccan households. The modest monthly decline offers only temporary relief, as year-on-year figures still point to a continuous rise in costs. For many, the pinch on daily expenses remains unchanged, keeping pressure on already tight budgets. Tags: economyfood priceshcp reportinflationMoroccoMorocco economy
Morocco World
20-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
World Bank Grants $250 Million to Reinforce Morocco's Social Protection
Rabat – Morocco secured financing from the World Bank as it advances a large-scale reform of its social safety nets. The institution's Board of Directors approved a $250 million financing package to support the country's Support to Strengthening of Social Safety Nets for Human Development Project. The funding comes as Morocco rolls out the Direct Social Benefit (DSB) program, which the government introduced in late 2023 as a cornerstone of its broader reform agenda. By March 2025, the program had already reached over 3.9 million households across the country, providing cash assistance and linking families to essential services. The World Bank's new package aims to reinforce this approach. It will help improve the way Morocco delivers aid to the poorest families, while also creating pathways for economic inclusion. Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, the World Bank's Director for the Maghreb and Malta, pointed to Morocco's achievements in reducing poverty, which fell to 3.8% in 2022. But he also acknowledged that many households remain vulnerable to shocks. 'Morocco has made notable strides, yet many families still lack the tools to withstand economic disruptions or take part in the job market,' Ndiaye said. 'This program opens the door for people to invest in education, access care services, and seek out work, particularly women and youth.' Morocco has made steady progress over the past two decades in lifting living standards and extending public services. But the road ahead remains challenging. High unemployment, weak female labor force participation, and widening rural-urban gaps continue to weigh on the country's ambitions for equitable growth. Morocco's unemployment rate has witnessed a slight decrease of 0.4% in the first quarter of 2025, falling from 13.7% to 13.3% compared to the first quarter of 2024, according to Morocco's Higher Commission for Planning (HCP). Yet, this decrease is still far from satisfactory. The World Bank project will support the National Agency for Social Support (ANSS), which manages the DSB program, in tightening coordination across ministries and boosting the efficiency of benefit delivery. At the core of the initiative is a citizen-focused model that seeks to connect public spending with measurable outcomes, such as more children in school, better health coverage, and stronger ties to the labor market. With support from international partners, Morocco hopes to build a safety net that gives people the means to move forward. Tags: Morocco economysocial protectionUnemploymentworld bank
Morocco World
18-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
HCP Report: 62,000 Moroccan Children Faced Dangerous Work Conditions in 2024
Rabat – Child labor in Morocco continues to affect thousands of young lives, especially in rural areas, despite a gradual decrease over recent years. A new report from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), based on the 2024 National Employment Survey, estimates that 101,000 children between the ages of 7 and 17 are involved in economic activities. The figure marks a drop of just over 8% from 2023 and a significant decrease of nearly 60% since 2017, but the reality behind the numbers remains sobering. These children represent 1.3% of the total population in their age group. The contrast between city and countryside is sharp: only 0.5% of urban children fall into this category, compared to 2.5% in rural areas. Behind these figures are children, mostly boys, whose daily lives revolve around work rather than school or play. Nearly 85% of all working children are male, and the vast majority, almost 90%, are aged between 15 and 17. More than three-quarters of them live in the countryside, where family farms and small-scale labor often replace formal education. Education rarely plays a lasting role in their lives. Over 87% of these children have dropped out of school altogether. A small fraction still attends, and some never enrolled to begin with. In rural areas, most children work in agriculture, forestry, or fishing, sectors that dominate the local economy. In cities, the story shifts to services and light industry, where children find jobs in workshops, repair shops, or small businesses. The type of work and the role children take on vary by setting. In the countryside, many help their families without pay. In cities, more children earn a wage or enter informal apprenticeships. But the nature of their work often puts them at serious risk. According to the report, more than 60,000 children face hazardous conditions daily. Industrial zones pose some of the highest dangers, followed closely by construction sites and service-based roles. Even in agriculture, where work appears less mechanical, over half of the children face harmful exposure to tools, chemicals, or physically demanding tasks. The burden of child labor weighs on approximately 73,000 Moroccan households, most of them in rural areas. Families with more children are more likely to send at least one of them to work, often out of financial necessity. The educational background of a household's head also plays a defining role. In homes where parents have never received formal education, child labor appears far more frequently. The trend nearly disappears in families led by someone with higher education. The profession of the household parents influences the outcome as well. Children are more often pulled into work when the family relies on farming, trade, or manual labor. In homes where the parents are unemployed, the pressure to contribute financially falls even harder on the children. By contrast, the report finds that children of professionals and executives are seldom drawn into labor. While the data suggests that national efforts to reduce child labor are yielding results, the issue remains deeply embedded in Morocco's rural and socioeconomically vulnerable communities. These children live outside the scope of childhood, caught in a cycle shaped by poverty, limited access to education, and fragile local economies. The decline in numbers offers hope, but the reality behind the statistics urges continued and more focused action. Tags: Child Laborhcp reportMoroccan ChildrenMorocco
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Imre Introduces the AI Conversation Converter
Agency launches First-in-Kind platform to quickly insert healthcare brands directly into the AI conversation NEW YORK, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Imre has cracked the GenAI visibility code with the Imre Conversation Converter, a proprietary platform and service that inserts brands directly into the new AI-led customer conversations. "400 million people are now using AI to search and make their decisions,"1 says Haifa Barbari, Imre's EVP of Innovation & Strategy. "Healthcare customers are talking to AI, and they're acting on the answers they get. Our question for brands is, 'Are you even in the conversation?'" The speed of AI adoption is unprecedented. Physicians are embracing AI in record numbers with 66% reporting using AI in their practice, nearly doubling from 38% in 2023.2 "This is a profound landscape change," says Barbari. "It's an understatement to say marketers need to rethink their strategy: They need completely new tools. That's what drove our rapid development and deployment of the Imre Conversation Converter." Imre Conversation Converter is the new DTC—and moreThe Imre Conversation Converter establishes a completely new way to engage healthcare customers-effectively and efficiently-whether the focus is DTC, HCP, caregivers, or all three. While SEO-only brands are increasingly finding themselves shut out of the decision-making dialogue, the Imre Conversation Converter gives marketers the power to: Establish how they're showing up to their customers today; Upgrade the brand's visibility and relevance, with precision targeting of the right customers at key decision moments; and Ensure they stay there. The Imre Conversation Converter begins with an AI Conversation Activation, which scores a brand's current visibility and engagement in the new AI-curated landscape. Then it's time to enhance the brand conversation with strategy and content by uniquely harnessing AI technology channeled through Imre's 32 years of industry insight and expertise. "The Conversation Converter starts with that critical barometer of where the brand stands now," says Barbari, "but the true power comes in giving marketers the ability to take back control of their brand narrative." "AI is fundamentally altering how people search, learn, and make decisions," says Anna Kotis, President of Imre. "With the Conversation Converter, Imre now has the unique power to not only score and track brand visibility, but the power to shape it, and own a brand's relevance in the new customer conversations, delivering smarter engagement with greater ROI." About Imre:Imre is a performance-driven creative agency that connects people to brands for life's most important decisions. With roots 32 years deep in the worlds of digital, social, and PR, Imre is now a full-service agency-of-record (AOR) with an impressive roster of launch and lifecycle brands (including both HCP and DTC), led by a team of seasoned launch experts. Imre's innovative approaches span across creative, brand strategy, omnichannel marketing, AI optimization, influencer, paid media, and the latest in data and analytics. The agency maintains offices in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and is an LGBTQ-founded company. 1 Reuters, Feb. 20252 American Medical Association, Feb. 2025 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Imre 登入存取你的投資組合
