Handicrafts employ 20% of Morocco’s workforce- Minister

Morocco’s colorful and diversified handicrafts employ 20% of the total workforce, said tourism and handicrafts minister Fatima Zahra Ammour.

Speaking at the opening of national handicrafts fair, she highlighted the strong social dimension of this sector which however needs to address challenges inherent to informal labor.

The sector grew 7% in 2023 with 1 billion dirhams in exports, according to official data.

Handicrafts so far have 389,000 craftsmen registered in the national register and 641,000 benefiting from social security fund CNSS.

Handicrafts represent 10% of all tourist spending in Morocco. Tourism in general represents up to 7% of Morocco’s GDP.

Morocco’s tourism has turned the Covid 19 page breaking a new record with the arrival of 14.5 million tourists last year, up 34% from 2022.

The milestone shows a 12% increase compared to 2019 when Morocco attracted 13 million tourists.