Number of Unemployed Crosses 3 Million

The latest official reports point to the presence of more than 2.5 million unemployed in urban areas and 500,000 unemployed in rural areas. Those in the 15 to 29 age group comprise the largest number of the unemployed, with over 2 million. In addition, the number of unemployed women is twice that of men.

According to official reports from various outlets, there are currently between 3 and 3.5 million unemployed people in Iran. Experts, however, believe the figure to be above 4 million.

Every year, close to 800,000 Iranians enter the labor force. The Islamic Republic has been unable to provide full employment for that population, a situation that has become more dire with the imposition of international sanctions and the implementation of the subsidy reform plan.

The Mehr news agency released numbers indicating that, last summer, 62.3 percent of the total male population was gainfully employed, amounting to 19 million and 882 thousand employed men, while the comparable figure for women was only 14.1 percent, amounting to 4 million and 502 thousand employed women. 

According to the same report, the unemployment rate for women is twice as high as that for men. While the male unemployment rate last summer was 10.2 percent, the female unemployment rate was 22.1 percent.

The official agency in charge of tracking unemployment in Iran is the Statistical Center of Iran. However, the ministry of labor also publishes annual figures that often are not consistent with the Center’s figures. The confusion is compounded by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s practice of announcing jobs numbers during his provincial visits. In one such visit, Ahmadinejad announced a 4 percent decline in the unemployment rate; a claim later refuted by experts and academics.

One of Ahmadinejad’s main campaign promises was to “eradicate unemployment at its root.” Over the past 7 years, however, the Ahmadinejad government’s policies have only worsened employment conditions in Iran.

The latest wave of inflation and price hikes that has gripped Iran since the intensification of international sanctions has presented the population seeking jobs with unprecedented conditions. Many factories and small and large business enterprises have either become bankrupt or are facing bankruptcy. The Iranian auto industry, which is one of the largest industries in Iran in terms of the number of people it employs, is on the verge of collapse. According to many experts, the auto industry is directly or indirectly responsible for the employment of more than 4 million workers in Iran. The industry’s dire condition will jeopardize the employment of that population and poses a further threat to the unemployment landscape in Iran.