Unemployment in Morocco rose to 13.5% in the third quarter of 2023, up from 11,4% last year. The national economy lost 297,000 jobs between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2023, said a report from the Higher Commission of Planning (HCP). Rural areas were the hardest hit, losing 269,000 jobs, compared to 29,000 in urban areas, said the report. HCP observed that unemployment rates are equally staggeringly high among young people aged 15 and 24, women, and college graduates, at 38.2%, 19.8%, and 19.8% respectively.