The government is taking a new step in reforming its active employment policies with a draft bill introducing several major changes to the Idmaj professional integration training scheme, in line with measures introduced under the 2025 Finance Law. The stated objective is to broaden access to professional integration opportunities, improve the program’s effectiveness and better align it with labor market realities. It was Younes Sekkouri who presented the bill last Tuesday before the Social Sectors Committee of the House of Representatives. During his presentation, followed by parliamentary debate, the minister emphasized the importance of this mechanism. He also revealed a figure that raises concerns. According to him, ANAPEC received nearly 100,000 job offers from companies, yet has been unable to respond satisfactorily to demand. ■ Skills MismatchThis situation is mainly explained by the mismatch between the skills sought by employers and those available on the labor market. The issue is compounded by the lack of attractiveness of certain wage offers, especially when positions are located far from job seekers’ places of residence. At the same time, the ministry is currently preparing detailed forecasts regarding future labor market needs in terms of skills and qualifications. These projections are expected to be presented later this month to a ministerial committee in order to identify the profiles sought by companies and align training programs accordingly. The objective is to improve the match between labor supply and demand. The minister stressed that employment challenges are no longer limited to the number of available jobs. They now also concern the availability of required skills, working conditions, wage levels and worker mobility. He therefore called for stronger training and career guidance mechanisms to better reflect the real needs of businesses. ■ Seasonal IdmajThe minister also warned about recruitment difficulties that certain sectors are likely to face in the coming years, particularly agriculture. He noted that the government has already launched the “Seasonal Idmaj” program to provide labor for seasonal agricultural activities, public works projects and other sectors with temporary workforce needs. In any case, the reform seeks to expand the pool of beneficiaries eligible for training-integration contracts. Previously reserved mainly for graduates for more than 30 years, the program is now being extended to young people without formal qualifications. The objective is to strengthen equal opportunities and better adapt employment policies to labor market needs. According to figures presented by Younes Sekkouri, the new provisions notably provide for reducing training duration to 12 non-renewable months, compared with 24 months previously. The reform also allows beneficiaries to continue a new training period with another employer if the initial contract is terminated within six months, provided that the total training period does not exceed one year. oKhadija MASMOUDI