FOM Newsletter Fall 1999: News Round Up 12/20/99

Some 42,000 people hired in the frame of the training-for-employment action. Economics, 

Some 42,000 high degree holders out of 100,000 have been hired so far in the frame of the training-for-employment action. The figures were disclosed by Moroccan Minister of Employment Khalid Alioua at a meeting in Rabat Friday with managers of several public institutions. Alioua deplored before the meeting-- which was assessing the conventions on employment signed in 1998-- that the efforts made so far in the frame of the training-for-employment action remain insufficient. The private sector, which plays a dynamic role in matters of employment thanks to the facilities extended by the state, must be backed by the public sector, Alioua said, calling the 600 Moroccan public institutions to exert further efforts to hire university graduates in the context of vocational training courses. As to the issue of unemployed high degree holders in the southern provinces, he said an exceptional solution will be reached before the end of next February, in line with the royal instructions.  These jobless graduates will be hired by both the public and the private sectors, he said.

Morocco will launch next January a program to fight corruption, the government's general affairs department said. The program, devised in collaboration with the World Bank, features awareness campaigns against the phenomenon and aims to draw a coherent and rational strategy to fight corruption in the long term. Part of the program, the National Education Ministry will organize lectures and various events to foster students' awareness to the phenomenon. The program will also target enterprises, public administrations and local councils.

Morocco intends to lessen joblessness to 12.6% as part of the 1999-2004 five-year development plan, adopted this week by the government. The objective can be fulfilled through a sustained growth rate of 5% annually, the Moroccan department of economic forecast and planning said in a document. The five year plan devotes 22% of the investment budget to social fields against 19% in the previous plan. According to the ministry, the plan also targets to bring down the budget deficit from 2.4% to 1%.

A meeting on the evolution of human rights in Morocco, the progress scored in the field of human rights and freedoms will be held in Paris next January. The meeting is organized by the French-Moroccan friendship group which held an extraordinary general assembly in Paris on Thursday.  The group, which announced on the occasion the first activities planned for the year 2000-- mainly visits by newsmen, parliamentarians and businessmen-- said these initiatives are meant to foster the backing of French decision-makers and public opinion to the historic moves made by King Mohammed VI to give momentum to development, social progress and democratization. The group called all Morocco's friends to mobilize to contribute to the success of this new phase, which is vital to the country.

The number of tourists who have visited Marrakesh in November reached 84,204, an increase of 19% in comparison with last year. Statistics of the regional tourism office said a total of 37,824 French tourists, traditional clients, visited the city during November, trailed by German nationals (7,366). Meanwhile, the number of Moroccans who visited the city declined by 24% from 17,298 in Nov.98 to 13,129 last Nov.  According to the source, occupancy rate at rated hotels reached 65.7 % from 60.89 % in the same period of last year.

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