Latest news with #HCP
Morocco World
a day ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Records 0.4% Dip in Living Costs in May, Inflation Persists Year-on-Year
Rabat – Morocco's cost of living edged down slightly in May, offering brief relief to households after months of price uncertainty. According to data from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), the consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.4% compared to April, pulled down mainly by declines in food and fuel prices. The drop in food prices, down 0.8% overall, reflected lower costs for everyday staples. Vegetables dropped by 2.1%, fish and seafood by 1.7%, meat by 1.5%, and dairy products by 1%. Basic items like bread, cereals, fruits, and cooking oils also saw slight declines. Only one category, coffee, tea, and cocoa, went up, rising by 0.8%. Non-food products saw a smaller shift, with a 0.1% decline. Fuel prices, however, fell more sharply, by 2.7%, easing transport costs for many. Across the country, the biggest local drops appeared in Beni-Mellal, Safi, and Tangier, where prices decreased by more than 1%. Smaller declines affected cities like Fez, Casablanca, and Rabat. However, some areas, including Laayoune and Al Hoceima, recorded slight increases. Compared to last year, prices rose by 0.4% in May. Food went up by 0.5%, and non-food goods by 0.3%. Within the non-food category, transportation costs fell significantly, by 4.3%, while restaurant and hotel prices climbed by nearly 4%. Meanwhile, core inflation, which excludes the most volatile items like food and energy, held steady compared to April but stood 1.1% higher than a year earlier. In simple terms, Morocco's inflation appears to cool slightly, driven by seasonal dips in food and global fuel adjustments. Yet, inflation remains a nuisance to Moroccan households. The modest monthly decline offers only temporary relief, as year-on-year figures still point to a continuous rise in costs. For many, the pinch on daily expenses remains unchanged, keeping pressure on already tight budgets. Tags: economyfood priceshcp reportinflationMoroccoMorocco economy
Morocco World
a day ago
- Business
- Morocco World
World Bank Grants $250 Million to Reinforce Morocco's Social Protection
Rabat – Morocco secured financing from the World Bank as it advances a large-scale reform of its social safety nets. The institution's Board of Directors approved a $250 million financing package to support the country's Support to Strengthening of Social Safety Nets for Human Development Project. The funding comes as Morocco rolls out the Direct Social Benefit (DSB) program, which the government introduced in late 2023 as a cornerstone of its broader reform agenda. By March 2025, the program had already reached over 3.9 million households across the country, providing cash assistance and linking families to essential services. The World Bank's new package aims to reinforce this approach. It will help improve the way Morocco delivers aid to the poorest families, while also creating pathways for economic inclusion. Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, the World Bank's Director for the Maghreb and Malta, pointed to Morocco's achievements in reducing poverty, which fell to 3.8% in 2022. But he also acknowledged that many households remain vulnerable to shocks. 'Morocco has made notable strides, yet many families still lack the tools to withstand economic disruptions or take part in the job market,' Ndiaye said. 'This program opens the door for people to invest in education, access care services, and seek out work, particularly women and youth.' Morocco has made steady progress over the past two decades in lifting living standards and extending public services. But the road ahead remains challenging. High unemployment, weak female labor force participation, and widening rural-urban gaps continue to weigh on the country's ambitions for equitable growth. Morocco's unemployment rate has witnessed a slight decrease of 0.4% in the first quarter of 2025, falling from 13.7% to 13.3% compared to the first quarter of 2024, according to Morocco's Higher Commission for Planning (HCP). Yet, this decrease is still far from satisfactory. The World Bank project will support the National Agency for Social Support (ANSS), which manages the DSB program, in tightening coordination across ministries and boosting the efficiency of benefit delivery. At the core of the initiative is a citizen-focused model that seeks to connect public spending with measurable outcomes, such as more children in school, better health coverage, and stronger ties to the labor market. With support from international partners, Morocco hopes to build a safety net that gives people the means to move forward. Tags: Morocco economysocial protectionUnemploymentworld bank
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
HCP Report: 62,000 Moroccan Children Faced Dangerous Work Conditions in 2024
Rabat – Child labor in Morocco continues to affect thousands of young lives, especially in rural areas, despite a gradual decrease over recent years. A new report from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), based on the 2024 National Employment Survey, estimates that 101,000 children between the ages of 7 and 17 are involved in economic activities. The figure marks a drop of just over 8% from 2023 and a significant decrease of nearly 60% since 2017, but the reality behind the numbers remains sobering. These children represent 1.3% of the total population in their age group. The contrast between city and countryside is sharp: only 0.5% of urban children fall into this category, compared to 2.5% in rural areas. Behind these figures are children, mostly boys, whose daily lives revolve around work rather than school or play. Nearly 85% of all working children are male, and the vast majority, almost 90%, are aged between 15 and 17. More than three-quarters of them live in the countryside, where family farms and small-scale labor often replace formal education. Education rarely plays a lasting role in their lives. Over 87% of these children have dropped out of school altogether. A small fraction still attends, and some never enrolled to begin with. In rural areas, most children work in agriculture, forestry, or fishing, sectors that dominate the local economy. In cities, the story shifts to services and light industry, where children find jobs in workshops, repair shops, or small businesses. The type of work and the role children take on vary by setting. In the countryside, many help their families without pay. In cities, more children earn a wage or enter informal apprenticeships. But the nature of their work often puts them at serious risk. According to the report, more than 60,000 children face hazardous conditions daily. Industrial zones pose some of the highest dangers, followed closely by construction sites and service-based roles. Even in agriculture, where work appears less mechanical, over half of the children face harmful exposure to tools, chemicals, or physically demanding tasks. The burden of child labor weighs on approximately 73,000 Moroccan households, most of them in rural areas. Families with more children are more likely to send at least one of them to work, often out of financial necessity. The educational background of a household's head also plays a defining role. In homes where parents have never received formal education, child labor appears far more frequently. The trend nearly disappears in families led by someone with higher education. The profession of the household parents influences the outcome as well. Children are more often pulled into work when the family relies on farming, trade, or manual labor. In homes where the parents are unemployed, the pressure to contribute financially falls even harder on the children. By contrast, the report finds that children of professionals and executives are seldom drawn into labor. While the data suggests that national efforts to reduce child labor are yielding results, the issue remains deeply embedded in Morocco's rural and socioeconomically vulnerable communities. These children live outside the scope of childhood, caught in a cycle shaped by poverty, limited access to education, and fragile local economies. The decline in numbers offers hope, but the reality behind the statistics urges continued and more focused action. Tags: Child Laborhcp reportMoroccan ChildrenMorocco
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Imre Introduces the AI Conversation Converter
Agency launches First-in-Kind platform to quickly insert healthcare brands directly into the AI conversation NEW YORK, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Imre has cracked the GenAI visibility code with the Imre Conversation Converter, a proprietary platform and service that inserts brands directly into the new AI-led customer conversations. "400 million people are now using AI to search and make their decisions,"1 says Haifa Barbari, Imre's EVP of Innovation & Strategy. "Healthcare customers are talking to AI, and they're acting on the answers they get. Our question for brands is, 'Are you even in the conversation?'" The speed of AI adoption is unprecedented. Physicians are embracing AI in record numbers with 66% reporting using AI in their practice, nearly doubling from 38% in 2023.2 "This is a profound landscape change," says Barbari. "It's an understatement to say marketers need to rethink their strategy: They need completely new tools. That's what drove our rapid development and deployment of the Imre Conversation Converter." Imre Conversation Converter is the new DTC—and moreThe Imre Conversation Converter establishes a completely new way to engage healthcare customers-effectively and efficiently-whether the focus is DTC, HCP, caregivers, or all three. While SEO-only brands are increasingly finding themselves shut out of the decision-making dialogue, the Imre Conversation Converter gives marketers the power to: Establish how they're showing up to their customers today; Upgrade the brand's visibility and relevance, with precision targeting of the right customers at key decision moments; and Ensure they stay there. The Imre Conversation Converter begins with an AI Conversation Activation, which scores a brand's current visibility and engagement in the new AI-curated landscape. Then it's time to enhance the brand conversation with strategy and content by uniquely harnessing AI technology channeled through Imre's 32 years of industry insight and expertise. "The Conversation Converter starts with that critical barometer of where the brand stands now," says Barbari, "but the true power comes in giving marketers the ability to take back control of their brand narrative." "AI is fundamentally altering how people search, learn, and make decisions," says Anna Kotis, President of Imre. "With the Conversation Converter, Imre now has the unique power to not only score and track brand visibility, but the power to shape it, and own a brand's relevance in the new customer conversations, delivering smarter engagement with greater ROI." About Imre:Imre is a performance-driven creative agency that connects people to brands for life's most important decisions. With roots 32 years deep in the worlds of digital, social, and PR, Imre is now a full-service agency-of-record (AOR) with an impressive roster of launch and lifecycle brands (including both HCP and DTC), led by a team of seasoned launch experts. Imre's innovative approaches span across creative, brand strategy, omnichannel marketing, AI optimization, influencer, paid media, and the latest in data and analytics. The agency maintains offices in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and is an LGBTQ-founded company. 1 Reuters, Feb. 20252 American Medical Association, Feb. 2025 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Imre 登入存取你的投資組合
Morocco World
09-06-2025
- Health
- Morocco World
How Morocco Can Prepare for an Aging Population
Rabat – Morocco is experiencing a notable demographic shift, with traditional family structures changing due to families having fewer children and life expectancy increasing. These changes will inevitably affect how we take care of each other, especially the elderly, and how our society stays strong and connected. Many families are now much smaller, and younger generations often move to cities or abroad for work or school. At the same time, more and more people are entering old age. As this happens, Morocco needs more than ever to prepare and think differently about how care is provided and how to support both families and older adults. One such step includes looking at examples from other countries that have adopted smart and practical approaches to support their aging population. Understanding the challenge Morocco's population is aging, with people now living longer thanks to better healthcare and living conditions. While increased life expectancy is a positive development, it also brings new challenges and care needs that must be addressed. According to the Moroccan High Commission of Planning (HCP), the number of people over 60 is expected to double by 2050. At the same time, families are having fewer children. The average number of children per woman has dropped from over five in the 1980s to around 2.4 today. These changes mean that fewer young people will be available to care for a growing elderly population. Traditional systems where older family members lived with younger ones and were supported by them are slowly disappearing. More people are moving to urban areas or abroad, and the nuclear family is becoming more common, which means that elderly parents are often left behind, sometimes alone or without enough support. Several countries around the world are facing similar challenges. While their situations may differ, their solutions can offer valuable lessons for Morocco. Learning from global examples Japan, one of the world's oldest societies, has responded to its rapidly aging population by establishing a national long-term care insurance ( LTCI ) system designed to promote dignity, autonomy, and quality of life for older adults. Introduced in 2000, the LTCI system enables elderly individuals to access a wide range of services, such as in-home assistance, adult day care, and short-stay facilities, tailored to their specific needs and conditions. These services are provided by certified professionals and funded through a combination of public financing and mandatory contributions from citizens aged 40 and over. This shift from traditional family-based caregiving and institutionalization aims to relieve the burden on families and create a system that empowers users to remain in their communities while receiving coordinated medical and social support. Sweden also provides one of the most comprehensive public elder care systems in the world. A significant proportion of older adults either reside in specially designed assisted living facilities or receive regular in-home support, including help with daily activities, personal care, and medical needs. These services are primarily funded through taxation and are delivered by professionally trained staff under the oversight of municipal governments. Sweden's model places a strong emphasis on enabling older people to age in place for as long as possible, with care plans tailored to individual needs and preferences. South Korea has introduced creative programs where young people live with elderly people in exchange for reduced rent. One such initiative, launched in Seoul in 2012, is a home sharing program where seniors offer affordable rent, or sometimes even free accommodation, to university students in exchange for companionship and light help with daily tasks. Bridging generations These arrangements are designed to foster family-like bonds, reduce isolation, and allow elderly people to age in place safely. Evaluations show that participants, especially older adults, report improved mental well-being and a stronger sense of security. Nationwide data in South Korea reinforces the urgency of such programs. Around 20% of elderly Koreans live alone, and this group is at much higher risk of depression and even suicide, the latter being one of the highest rates in the OECD for seniors. Studies show that older adults living with even one or two other people are significantly less likely to suffer from depression. Similar intergenerational housing models have been growing in Canada, often supported by universities or non-profits. Seniors with spare rooms are matched with young adults or students who offer help with chores or companionship in exchange for reduced rent. Surveys from programs in British Columbia indicate that these arrangements provide affordable housing and meaningful social interaction for seniors who may otherwise go weeks without social contact. Canada also promotes intergenerational community centers where people of different ages participate in joint activities like arts classes, sports, tutoring, and storytelling. These spaces are designed to break down generational stereotypes and foster empathy. Evaluations of such programs show that participants consistently report high satisfaction, emotional connection, and a sense of belonging. A policy roadmap for Morocco Morocco needs a clear and coordinated national plan on aging to face the future with confidence. This plan should include the development of a long-term strategy to support older adults and their caregivers. Reliable data collection on aging trends, care needs, and family dynamics is also essential to ensure that policies are grounded in evidence. Drawing inspiration from these approaches, Morocco could invest in small, local care centers where elderly people can spend the day or live when necessary. These centers would provide essential care services and offer a sense of community, especially for seniors who may be isolated or without family support. To make these services affordable and sustainable, the government could partner with NGOs and local councils. At the same time, Morocco should focus on training more caregivers, especially young people and people with limited employment opportunities, which would create jobs while meeting an urgent social need. Investing in the care economy is key step, including recognizing the value of unpaid care work and offering professional training and job opportunities in elder care and disability services. Public-private partnerships could play a role in expanding care infrastructure across urban and rural areas alike. In addition, Morocco must expand social protection systems to ensure all elderly people, including those who worked in the informal sector, have access to healthcare and pensions. The country could explore forms of care insurance or financial support for families who provide at-home care for elderly relatives. Urban planning and housing policies should also become more age-inclusive. This means designing homes and neighborhoods that are safe, accessible, and suited to the needs of seniors. Mixed-age housing and intergenerational living models like those of Canada and South Korea can also help reduce loneliness and strengthen community ties. Above all, promoting education and civic engagement will be essential to changing mindsets around aging. Schools can teach children about the value of caring for others, and community programs can encourage young people to volunteer with seniors and offer companionship or help with daily tasks. Tags: elder people in MoroccoOld population
