Viadeo, the world's second-biggest online networking site for professionals after LinkedIn, said on Friday it had opened a regional branch in Morocco as it seeks to expand its presence in the increasingly-wired Arab world.

Viadeo, which targets professionals, job seekers and recruiters, shelved plans for an initial public offering last year to focus on growth in emerging markets.

Morocco is the first country in Northern Africa and within the Arab world where Viadeo has established an office; this follows the opening of an office in Senegal in March 2011, Viadeo said in a statement.

Morocco accounts for a quarter of Viadeo's 2 million members in Africa. The increasing use of Internet and high youth unemployment in the Arab world, which hovers around 30 percent in Morocco, is a boon for businesses like Viadeo.

The membership base in Morocco has doubled in less than a year and represents the second French speaking community of the platform after France, it said.

(Reporting By Souhail Karam; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

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