The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) are calling for a new impetus for youth entrepreneurship and the development of very small and medium-sized enterprises (VSMEs) in Morocco.

The recommendations are contained in a policy guidance note entitled "Impact of the Covid-19 crisis on employment and SME in Morocco", published on May 31, 2021. Strengthening resilience to shocks and creating quality jobs in the Kingdom, this is the objective of the policy brief jointly published by the AfDB and the ILO. The result of a collaboration between the two institutions, this information note analyzes the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on employment and the development of Moroccan VSMEs, with key recommendations.
The crisis has led to the loss of 432,000 jobs according to the Report of the High Commission for Planning on employment (January 2021), and has caused an increase in job insecurity, in particular among young people, women and the most vulnerable populations. With regard to VSMEs, nearly 80% of them saw a drop of more than 15% in their turnover, a consequence of the first confinement. The survey carried out thus revealed a need for technical support expressed by more than 77% of these companies.
To support the recovery, the document recommends including, in each sector recovery plan, projects and programs with a high potential impact on job creation and carrying out a mid-term review of the National Recovery Strategy. 'use. Another recommendation: Thinking after Covid-19 makes it possible to understand the Moroccan economy with more resilient, more inclusive and more innovative foundations. Endogenous growth that creates decent jobs, driven more by VSMEs, is therefore fundamental.