Nizar Baraka, Secretary-General of the Istiqlal Party and Minister of Equipment and Water, acknowledged the government's failure to meet its promise of creating one million jobs during its term, which ends next year. Speaking at the Istiqlal Party's National Council session on Saturday, May 17, in Salé, Baraka said, «We must be honest with Moroccans; the goal of creating one million jobs is unattainable». He added that the government is entering a new phase in addressing employment challenges, highlighting that approximately 180,000 jobs were created in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a loss of nearly 80,000 jobs during the same period last year. Meanwhile, the High Commission for Planning reported that the national economy generated around 282,000 jobs between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025. However, the economy also recorded significant job losses in recent years: 157,000 jobs were lost in 2023, about 24,000 jobs between 2021 and 2022, and 432,000 jobs in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, 230,000 jobs were created in 2021.
