Morocco as a destination for labour migrants? Experiences of Sub-Saharan migrants in the call centre sector

When in 2013 Morocco announced the introduction of a new immigration policy and the regularization of many irregular migrants, the authorities also officially recognized that Morocco has become an immigration country. While references were mainly made to the irregular migrant population that now lives in Morocco many of whom probably aim to continue on their way to Europe, Morocco actually hosts a very mixed population of SubSaharan origin, reflecting the country’s historical and religious relations on the continent as well as its economic and foreign policy ambitions and its geographical position. One of the recent migration movements to the country is that of call centre workers coming from Senegal and heading to Morocco explicitly for work purposes. In Morocco, they integrate in the call centre industry which is, together with the construction sector, probably one of the most important sectors in terms of numbers for labour market integration of the Sub-Saharan population. Senegalese labour migrants in call centres are joined by current and former students of Sub-Saharan origin who are looking for jobs and integrate in call centres more easily than in any other sector. Rather than being linked to recent developments after the uprisings in North Africa or the downturn of southern European countries, it is the changes in the Moroccan economic landscape, the situation in the home country as well as study purposes that primarily shape the migration decisions of those call centre workers. Drawing on interviews in Rabat and Casablanca in 2013, this chapter discusses migration decisions in more detail, together with the question of why they are hardly influenced by the protest movements. To put the call centre worker migration in context, the chapter starts with an overview of different movements of Sub-Saharan migration to Morocco and the illustration of the development of the call centre industry in the country. It closes by showing employment conditions, what legal constraints migrants face and how they try to circumvent these.