Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in Morocco
Capital
Rabat
Currency
Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Languages
Arabic, Standard Moroccan Berber
Payroll Frequency
monthly
GDP per Capita
$3,291.88
Employer Tax
22.59% - 26.09%
Talent Overview
Morocco, a relatively liberal economy, is the 5th largest economy in Africa based on GDP. The main contributing factor to their economy is the services sector (tourism and telcom) which covers more than half of their GDP. It is then followed by the agricultural sector due to the country’s rich soil resources.
Major economic hubs:
Rabat, Marrakech, and Fez
Skills in demand:
Accountant, Receptionist, HR Recruiter, Project Manager, PHP Developer
Local Universities
The top local universities in Morocco are as follows:
Local: 1
World: 2553
Local: 2
World: 3159
Local: 3
World: 3597
Local: 4
World: 4044
Local: 5
World: 4838
Salary Data
Below are the average monthly salaries for some positions in Morocco:
| Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (MAD) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
| Accountant | 12,800 | 1,251 |
| Software Engineer | 18,700 | 1,829 |
| Financial Analyst | 25,800 | 2,523 |
| Graphic Designer | 12,600 | 1,232 |
| Project Manager | 22,800 | 2,230 |
| Sales Manager | 31,800 | 3,110 |
| Customer Service Representative | 6,970 | 681 |
Talent Sourcing Tips
Bayt ; Naukrigulf ; Careers in Africa
3,933,000
Michael Page Recruitment Agency; Moroccan Agency; Adecco Maroc
Moroccan employees are protected by the country’s labor code. Employers are expected to conform to the provisions stated in the employment law and provide the employees with the minimum required benefits. Below are some items that businesses need to be aware of when hiring employees.
Employment contracts and other business documents must be written in the Arabic language.
Probation period for employees in Morocco may vary depending on their nature of work and employment classification. It can be as long as six months.
| Date | Name | Type |
| 1 Jan | New Year’s Day | National holiday |
| 11 Jan | Anniversary of the Independence Manifesto | National holiday |
| 10 Apr | Eid al-Fitr (Tentative Date) | National holiday |
| 11 Apr | Eid al-Fitr holiday (Tentative Date) | National holiday |
| 1 May | Labour Day/May Day | National holiday |
| 17 Jun | Eid al-Adha (Tentative Date) | National holiday |
| 18 Jun | Eid al-Adha holiday (Tentative Date) | National holiday |
| 8 Jul | Hijra New Year (Tentative Date) | National holiday |
| 30 Jul | Feast of the Throne | National holiday |
| 14 Aug | Anniversary of the Recovery Oued Ed-Dahab | National holiday |
| 20 Aug | Anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People | National holiday |
| 21 Aug | Youth Day | National holiday |
| 16 Sep | The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (Tentative Date) | National holiday |
| 17 Sep | The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Holiday (Tentative Date) | National holiday |
| 6 Nov | Anniversary of the Green March | National holiday |
| 18 Nov | Independence Day | National holiday |
| Type of Leave | Time Period | Mandatory |
| Annual Leave | 18 days | Yes |
| Maternity Leave | 14 weeks | Yes |
Payroll
Payroll Cycle
The payroll cycle in Morocco is generally monthly.
Minimum Wage
The Minimum wage in Morocco is different in each industry sector. For the public sector, minimum wage is at MAD 3,500.00 per month. For the private sector, the rate is at MAD 2,902.00 per month.
Overtime Pay
Overtime Pay rate will depend on when the extra work was performed. Below are the rates:
Bonus
Moroccan employees are entitled to the following benefits during their employment:
Taxes
Below are the rates for Morocco’s social security scheme known as the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS):
| Type of Contribution | Tax Rate |
| Family Allocation | 6.4% |
| Social Allocation | 8.98% |
| Professional Training | 1.6% |
| Mandatory Medical Care | 4.11% |
Additionally, companies are expected to make contributions to the Social Solidarity Program based on their annual net income. Below are the following:
| Net taxable income (MAD) | SSC rate (%) |
| Between 1 million and 5 million | 1.5 |
| Between 5 million and 10 million | 2.5 |
| Between 10 million and 40 million | 3.5 |
| More than 40 million | 5 |
Below are the rates for Morocco’s social security scheme known as the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS):
| Type of Contribution | Tax Rate |
| Social Allocation | 4.48% |
| Mandatory Medical Care | 2.26% |
Additionally, employees are also expected to make a Social Solidarity contribution of 1.5% if their annual income exceeds 120,000 MAD
| Annual taxable income (MAD) | Tax rate (%) |
| 0 to 30,000 | Exempted |
| 30,001 to 50,000 | 10 |
| 50,001 to 60,000 | 20 |
| 60,001 to 80,000 | 30 |
| 80,001 to 180,000 | 34 |
| More than 180,000 | 38 |
The Standard VAT rate in Morocco is 20%
Offboarding & Termination
Any employee dismissal in Morocco must undergo fair trial to justify the reason to terminate. A notice period is expected to be observed except for two reasons: fair dismissal for a serious misconduct and fair dismissal for 4 cumulative non-serious misconducts within a year.
The Notice Period for Moroccan employees may be up to 3 months, depending on their years of service with the company.
Severance Pay varies depending on the employee’s years of service. The calculation will be the employee’s average hourly rate X the number of hours they are entitled to based on how long they have worked for the company.
| Years of Service | Entitled number of paid hours |
| >5 | 96 hours pay (50% of one-month pay) |
| 6 – 10 | 144 hours pay (75% of one-month pay) |
| 11-15 | 192 hours pay (100% of one-month pay) |
| 15 + | 240 hours pay (126% of one-month pay) |
Visa and Immigration
Foreign workers must apply for a work visa with the Department of Labour in Rabat to be allowed to stay in Morocco for employment purposes. They must also secure a residency card to stay in the country.
