عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Unemployment Drops in Morocco to 8.5%

Employees work at a factory operated by Somaca in Tangiers, file. REUTERS/Stringer
Employees work at a factory operated by Somaca in Tangiers, file. REUTERS/Stringer
TT
TT

Unemployment Drops in Morocco to 8.5%

Employees work at a factory operated by Somaca in Tangiers, file. REUTERS/Stringer
Employees work at a factory operated by Somaca in Tangiers, file. REUTERS/Stringer

The unemployment rate in Morocco reached 8.5 percent at the end of June after it was at 9.1 percent last year, Reuters reported, quoting the Kingdom’s High Commission of Planning.

HCP said that the job market was marked by a “further decline” in employment rates in cities, however, rural areas saw a rise of unemployment due to aridity.

“The number of unemployed people has declined from 1.1 million to 1.03 million following a drop of 77,000 in unemployed people,” the HCP said.

The report published on Wednesday showed that Morocco’s national economy created 7,000 job opportunities in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the much higher 117,000 in the same period in 2018.

The unemployed rate in urban areas dropped around 84,000 while it rose approximately 7,000 in rural areas. The unemployment rate in urban areas declined from 13.7 percent to 12.4 percent. , however, it rose in rural areas to 3.3 percent from 3 percent.

The Moroccan economy created during this period 210,000 jobs and lost 203, added the report.

It added that the services sector created 167,000 jobs, while industrial sectors created 43,000 jobs. The construction sector lost 27,000 jobs at the national level due to the continuous real estate crisis, while the agricultural sector lost 176,000 jobs due to aridity.

In the statement, the agency said that 132,000 jobs were gained in cities while only 125,000 were provided in rural areas.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has made history by uniting the 193 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to adopt the Riyadh Treaty on Design Law. This landmark achievement, realized after two decades of deliberation, underscores the Kingdom’s leadership in enhancing the global intellectual property system.

The announcement came at the conclusion of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty, a rare event for WIPO, which has not held a diplomatic conference outside Geneva for more than a decade. It was also the first such event hosted in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, representing the final stage of negotiations to establish an agreement aimed at simplifying and standardizing design protection procedures across member states.

Over the past two weeks, intensive discussions and negotiations among member states culminated in the adoption of the Riyadh Treaty, which commits signatory nations to a unified set of requirements for registering designs, ensuring consistent and streamlined procedures worldwide. The agreement is expected to have a significant positive impact on designers, enabling them to protect their creations more effectively and uniformly across international markets.

At a press conference held on Friday to mark the event’s conclusion, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem highlighted the economic potential of the new protocol.

Responding to a question from Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Suwailem noted the substantial contributions of young Saudi men and women in creative design. He explained that the agreement will enable their designs to be formally protected, allowing them to enter markets as valuable, tradable assets.

He also emphasized the symbolic importance of naming the convention the Riyadh Treaty, stating that it reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing influence as a bridge between cultures and a global center for innovative initiatives.

The treaty lays critical legal foundations to support designers and drive innovation worldwide, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s vision of promoting international collaboration in the creative industries and underscoring its leadership in building a sustainable future for innovators.

The agreement also advances global efforts to enhance creativity, protect intellectual property, and stimulate innovation on a broader scale.

This achievement further strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for groundbreaking initiatives, demonstrating its commitment to nurturing creativity, safeguarding designers’ rights, and driving the development of creative industries on an international scale.

The Riyadh Diplomatic Conference, held from November 11 to 22, was hosted by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property and attracted high-ranking officials and decision-makers from WIPO member states.