Self-Employement

The integration of the informal economy was established as a national priority and represents a flagship project of the Industrial Acceleration Plan. It aims to encourage, in greater numbers, the actors of the informal sector to become part of an ecosystem where they would be encouraged to create value.

This action relies on a variety of measures. In compliance to the Convention on the integration of the informal sector and the support of the very small enterprises, concluded on 2 April 2014, a full integration system has been set up.
The law establishing the status of self-employment was adopted in January 2015. It is a statutory instrument, which aims to promote the entrepreneurial spirit, including aspiring women entrepreneurs, to make the creation of very small enterprises a lever to generate employment and value.

This scheme has been deployed at the agencies of Barid Al Maghrib (Moroccan Post Office). It has many advantages, mainly:
• simplification of procedures for creation and termination,
• exemption from registration with the Register of Commerce,
• electronic payment of income tax and exemption from value added tax,
• reduced taxation: 1% of turnover for industrial, commercial and craft businesses, and 2% for services,
• the opportunity to invoice,
• social security,
• protection of primary residence from seizure.

Some of the desirable tangible benefits of self-employment include:
• opportunity for young entrepreneurs to test and validate their projects,
• easy access to running a professional activity within a legal and protected framework,
• conversion to a more formal structure is simpler and cheaper,
• market access and transparency on the basis of invoicing, especially between professionals,
• banking penetration and access to banking services for professionals,
• the development of skills and qualifications through support programmes.

Groups potentially affected by the statute include:
• individuals operating in the informal sector without legal status,
• students, especially those with vocational training,
• the unemployed, especially rural unemployed graduates and those without qualifications.

For more information consult: http://www.ae.gov.ma