This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress
The Executive Director of the Moroccan Observatory of Very Small and Medium Enterprises (OMTPME), Amal Idrissi, indicated, Monday in Casablanca, that only 15% of businesses in Morocco are run by women, a figure which has remained stable since 2020 .
Speaking during a press briefing dedicated to the presentation of the OMTPME report for the period 2022-2023, Ms. Idrissi stressed that the study carried out, which compared the data from 2023 (373,835 companies) to those of 2022 (344,563 companies), highlights persistent gender inequalities, particularly in terms of access to bank credit.
She specified, in this wake, that only 14.6% of businesses run by women access bank credit, and that their share in the total outstanding bank loans does not exceed 11.3%. On the regional level, she noted that 17.6% of businesses are run by women in the Marrakech-Safi region, compared to 16.6% in Rabat-Salé-Kenitra and 15.6% in Casablanca-Settat, rates which slightly exceed the national average. Conversely, the regions of Béni Mellal-Khénifra and Oriental show shares around 10%, she said.
And note that female entrepreneurship occupies a notable place in certain sectors, with a strong presence in human health and social action (40%), as well as in services, notably hairdressing and beauty care (30 %), and teaching (30%).
On the other hand, the transport and warehousing, extractive industries and construction sectors show lower rates, below 10%, according to Ms. Idrissi. Regarding the evolution of business creations and dissolutions between 2017 and 2023, it reveals, according to her, a contrasting dynamic in the Moroccan entrepreneurial landscape, marked in particular by a significant increase in the number of business creations, reaching 96,442 in 2023, an increase of 20% compared to 2017.
Ms. Idrissi further noted that this growth is distinguished in particular by a preponderance of microenterprises, which represent 99% of creations, continuing that the sectors of information, communication, real estate activities, human health and social action recorded levels of creation higher than those observed before the pandemic.
And to continue that the impact of the health crisis and the economic recovery has affected unequally the different sizes of companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which have been particularly affected, and their resilience has been exposed. tested by an unfavorable market environment, with a higher dissolution rate in certain regions such as Souss-Massa, Fès-Meknes and Marrakech-Safi.
These regions observed a more pronounced evolution of dissolutions, contrasting with areas like Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, where business creations increased remarkably, notably by 74% in this region.
At the sectoral level, certain areas have recorded exceptional performances, with sectors such as specialized, scientific and technical activities showing an impressive annual increase in their added value (VA), exceeding 50% between 2017 and 2023, she said. said.
In addition, she continued, the commerce, manufacturing industry and construction sectors remain the most dominant in terms of turnover (CA), representing nearly 72% of the total turnover of companies. .
To this end, she cited the commerce sector which experienced a slight drop in its market share, going from 35.2% in 2017 to 34.1% in 2023, while the manufacturing industry saw its share increase, although at a moderate rate.
In terms of employment, SMEs, representing 73% of employees, saw their rate of employment growth increase from 8.7% before the pandemic to 6% after, said Ms. Idrissi, adding that certain regions, such as Souss-Massa, Marrakech-Safi and Oriental recorded an increase in numbers, while Casablanca-Settat experienced a slowdown, despite its 32.1% share of SMEs and 38.3% of the total workforce in 2023.
In this sense, she mentioned the tertiary sector which continued to grow, representing 66.5% of total business employment, compared to 62.2% in 2017.
The OMTPME annual report presents the demographic, economic and financial situation of the Moroccan entrepreneurial fabric.
This edition places particular emphasis on the evolution of employment in a post-Covid context, includes indicators on self-entrepreneurs and presents the results of a study on female entrepreneurship.
