Location watch: Morocco

However, as I’ve learned over the past 12 months, Morocco has become a fantastic outsourcing alternative to the UK, European and also for US businesses that are looking to reduce inhouse costs, whilst maintaining the highest level of standards/service.

Since 1993, Morocco has followed a policy of privatisation of certain economic sectors, which were previously in the hands of the Moroccan government. This has allowed more foreign investment into Morocco, which has subsequently seen a boom in the outsourcing sector. As a result, Morocco now boasts some impressive statistics, which include:

• $1.4 billion export turnover in the industry as of 2022.
• 1st in terms of infrastructure and digital connectivity in North Africa according to the Global Connectivity Index 2020.
• 2nd fastest broadband speeds in North Africa according to the Speedtest Global Index 2022.

So why should you look at Morocco as your next outsourcing destination? Well:

1. Strategic location – Morocco is located on the doorstep of Europe, circa 14.3 kilometres between it and its nearest European neighbour, Spain. A flight from London Heathrow to Casablanca International Airport takes just over 3 hours to complete, which is much more favourable than the 11 hours and 40 minutes it would take to fly from London to Cape Town, South Africa. This means businesses can feel a lot more at ease knowing they are a short plane ride away from their outsourced partner.
2. Language availability – due to its proximity to Europe and the Middle East, Morocco has a workforce that is culturally diverse and multilingual. BPO leaders find that English is the language most commonly used by employees, yet French remains a second language for most citizens and is used in the majority of business dealings. Other languages can be sourced in Morocco, albeit in smaller volumes, including German and Spanish.
3. Availability of talent – currently, the unemployment rate in Morocco sits at 11.8%. Simply put, there is an abundance of resource and talent available in the market. This means that businesses that demand incredible flexibility during peak/promotional periods, will have no issues in managing these challenging peaks and troughs.
4. Cost competitiveness – on average you will see cost savings of 50% when outsourcing in Morocco. Over the past 12 months we have seen some very competitive rates, with some clients asking “is this too good to be true?”. Not only can Morocco deliver some eye opening cost savings, but it can do it whilst maintaining the highest level of service that you come to expect.
5. World-class outsourcing business parks – Morocco has built some fantastic outsourcing business parks to attract overseas work and investment. Located in the likes of Casablanca, Fes and Rabat, these business parks are equipped with the latest and best infrastructure to support your needs, including optical fibre internet connection and uninterrupted power supply.

Furthermore, to show its willingness to develop the outsourcing industry in Morocco, the Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade (Ryad Mezzour) and the Minister of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform (Ghita Mezzour) recently signed off on a $5 million package to support investment projects in the outsourcing sector.

Interested in hearing more about Morocco? Get in touch, we’d love to chat with you.