Marked Decline in People Filing for Unemployment Benefits

EghtesadOnline: The Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare has registered a 94% decrease in the number of people filing for unemployment benefits during the month ending May 20 compared with the month ending March 19, according to an official with the ministry.

News ID: ۷۸۵۵۴۷

28 June 2020

“A total of 851,864 people filed for unemployment benefits from February 29 to June 20, of whom 711,800 were found eligible for unemployment benefits,” Masoud Babaie was also quoted as saying by IRNA.

“As per the decision of the National Taskforce to Fight Coronavirus, the fiscal month ending May 20 was the last month coronavirus unemployment benefits would have been available and the applicants had until June 20 to register at 'bimebikari.mcls.gov.ir'. A total of 18,255 people filed for unemployment benefits during the month ending June 20 and their list will be sent to the Social Security Organization this week.”

Babaie noted that applications for benefits do not need to be evaluated by related commissions and will be certified when they meet the requirements described in the website.

With 151,724 applications, Tehran registered the highest number of unemployed workers in the country whereas North Khorasan recorded the lowest number of workers losing their jobs in the wake of coronavirus outbreak with 4,391 files.

The second highest number of unemployment applications was recorded by Fars Province with 73,195, followed by Isfahan with 65,436 and Khorasan Razavi with 48,964.

The southern province of Khuzestan, which is now an epicenter of the virus, registered 31,942 official unemployment applications.

Mazandaran and Gilan, which emerged as the hardest-hit provinces at the start of the pandemic in Iran have recorded 30,880 and 21,579 unemployment files. The amount of unemployment benefit is 8.25 million rials per month, which would be granted for three months.