Unemployment Gap Across Iranian Provinces (2011-2018)

EghtesadOnline: The gap between unemployment rates for Iranian provinces was the highest in the fiscal 2016-17 and lowest in 2014-15 over the seven years reviewed by the Statistics and Strategic Information Center of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare during 2011-18.

News ID: ۷۸۴۳۳۵

19 November 2018

The highest unemployment rate was recorded for Kermanshah Province at 22% and the lowest rate was registered for Markazi Province with 7.3% in 2016-17, showing the unemployment gap at its widest—14.7%.

The lowest gap was at 8.8% in 2014-15, as Kermanshah saw the highest unemployment rate of 15.7% and Kerman registered the lowest joblessness rate of 6.9%.

The lowest joblessness rate during the period under review was recorded in the fiscal 2013-14 at 10.4%, while 48% of the provinces posted rates higher that the national average, Financial Tribune reported.

The highest unemployment rate during the seven-year period was registered in 2016-17 at the rate of 12.4%. Kermanshah posted the highest rate of 22% among all provinces and Markazi Province registered the lowest of 7.3%.

Overall unemployment rate in 2011-12 stood at 12.3%, with the highest rate registered for Alborz Province (19.3%) and the lowest for Yazd Province (6%).

In 2012-13, the joblessness rate stood at 12.1%. Lorestan posted the highest rate of 20% among all provinces with 6.3% and South Khorasan registered the lowest rate with 6.3%.

Joblessness rate in 2013-14 stood at 10.4%, with the highest rate registered for Lorestan Province (17.1%) and the lowest rate for Golestan Province (5.8%).

In 2014-15, the joblessness rate stood at 10.6%. Kermanshah posted the highest rate of 15.7% among all provinces and Kerman registered the lowest rate with 6.9%.

Unemployment rate in 2015-16 stood at 11%, with the highest rate registered for Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad Province (17.7%) and the lowest for East Azarbaijan Province (7.3%).

And in 2017-18, the country’s average unemployment rate was 12.1% with Kermanshah Province registering the highest rate among all Iranian provinces with 21.6% and Semnan Province posting the lowest rate of 7.9%.

Latest Figures

Latest data released by the Statistical Center of Iran show Iran’s unemployment rate, the proportion of jobless population of ages 10 years and above, stood at 12.2% in the second quarter of the current Iranian year (June 22-Sept. 22), registering a 0.7% increase compared with the same period of last year.

A total of 3,326,000 Iranians were unemployed in the second quarter, the latest report by the Statistical Center of Iran shows.

Women unemployment stood at 19.8%, while for men it hovered around 10.3%, as over 2.25 million men and 1.07 million women ages 10 and above were jobless in the second quarter.

The unemployment rate was 13.8% for urban areas (2.79 million people) and 7.6% for rural areas (535,724 people).

The youth unemployment rate of those between 15 and 24 years stood at 27.2% in Q2, registering a 0.3% increase, while the unemployment rate of those of ages 15 to 29 stood at 24.9%, which shows a 0.8% rise compared with the same period of last year.

Hamedan Province filed the lowest unemployment rate of 6.5% among all Iranian provinces in Q2 while Kermanshah Province had the highest unemployment rate of 16.4%. Tehran Province, wherein lies the capital city, registered a 13.3% unemployment rate.

Nine provinces, namely Hamedan (6.5%), Zanjan (7.1%), Semnan (7.1%), Ardabil (7.5%), Fars (8.7%), South Khorasan (8.9%), Golestan (8.9%), Markazi Province (9.6%) and North Khorasan (9.8%), registered single-digit unemployment rates in spring.

North Khorasan had the highest labor force participation rate (46.8%) and Sistan-Baluchestan showed the lowest labor force participation rate (34.1%), whereas Tehran registered a 39.9% participation rate in Q2.

North Khorasan registered the highest employment rate of 42.2% while Sistan-Baluchestan filed the lowest employment rate of 28.9% in Q2 among all Iranian provinces.