RABAT- Morocco’s unemployment rate rose to 12.7% by September, the planning agency said on Tuesday.

Morocco’s economy, hit by drought and the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to contract between 6% and 7% this year according to the International Monetary Fund.

Farm income hinges on volatile rainfall levels in the semi-arid North African country, pushing more rural people to seek work in urban areas. While 344,000 jobs were shed in rural areas, 237,000 jobs were lost in cities, the agency said.

(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Alison Williams) ((ahmed.eljechtimi@thomsonreuters.com;))