Morocco's informal sector includes 1.2 million enterprises, makes 17% of gdp

The Moroccan non-agricultural informal sector, which contributes 17% to the kingdom's GDP, counts some 1,233,240 production units including 76.6% in cities, according to a survey of the statistics department.

The study, which has been published recently, covers the period 1999-2000 and concerns a sample of 8,890 cities-based informal production units, agricultural ones not included.

The study calls informal units all those that produce and/or sell goods or services and do not have complete accounts describing their activity as provided for by the law in force since 1994.

Over 70% of these units, which cater for some 2 million jobs, are only one person-enterprises. Those run by four persons do not exceed 4.8% of the total number.

The survey goes on that 52.8% of these production units are trade-oriented, 48% of them have no offices and only 12.4% are managed by women.

During the survey period, informal enterprises made a 166.4 billion dirham (nearly $16.6 billion) in sales, i.e. a 134.8 dirham ($13.4) each in average. Some 77% of the amount is made by units operating in trade and repair services.

On these enterprises' relations with administration, the study says 76.7% of them are not licensed, 87% are not recorded in the trade register and 99.2% are not affiliated to the social security fund.