A new ban on unsolicited sales calls in France is raising concerns about thousands of jobs in Morocco’s call-centre and outsourcing sector. The new rules took effect on Tuesday, 11 August. Industry professionals and trade unions estimate that between 40,000 and 50,000 jobs could be at risk if companies cannot replace business lost from France.
Some companies that rely heavily on the French market could see their activity fall by up to 80%.
France adopted Law No. 2025-594 to change how telemarketing works. Consumers must now give clear and specific consent before companies can make commercial calls to them.
Pre-ticked boxes and general terms and conditions do not count as consent.
Companies and their clients can face fines of up to €375,000 for breaking the rules.
Calls linked to an existing contract are still allowed. Some non-commercial calls, including those made by registered charities, are also exempt.
The new rules matter because more than 80% of call-centre exports from Morocco serve French-speaking clients in France.
The outsourcing sector directly employs around 120,000 to 130,000 people. It also supports about 50,000 indirect jobs in transport, catering, facilities management and administrative services.
The industry generates between 10bn and 12bn dirhams ($1bn-$1.2bn) in annual revenue.
Small and medium-sized companies make up more than 60% of call-centre businesses. Many of these companies depend heavily on outbound sales calls.
The impact may not be the same across the whole sector.
Outbound cold calling accounts for around 15% to 20% of total industry revenue. Other activities make up the larger share of the business.
These include customer support, technical assistance, general enquiries, customer retention and multi-channel services.
The sector is also growing in areas such as business process outsourcing (BPO), information technology outsourcing (ITO), knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and AI-assisted customer services.
Trade unions and professional groups want the government to assess the impact on jobs and companies.
Some call centres have already closed. Other centres remain uncertain about their future after the summer holiday.
Workers also face concerns if foreign companies decide to leave the country.
A company closure could leave employees without work while an international group shuts down its local operations.
The government and the industry have been trying to reduce dependence on France.
New plans focus on markets such as Germany, Spain and Italy, as well as North America and sub-Saharan Africa.
The aim is also to move towards higher-value services instead of relying mainly on traditional call-centre work.
France remains a key market, however. The effect of the new rules will depend on how quickly companies can find new clients and change the services they offer.
