Over 42% of Graduates Unemployed

EghtesadOnline: The share of higher education unemployment from the total unemployed population in Iran was 42.3% in the third quarter of the current Iranian year (Sept. 23-Dec. 21), registering a year-on-year increase of 2.1%, according to the Statistical Center of Iran.

News ID: ۷۸۷۶۸۰

24 January 2022

The unemployment shares of male and female graduates from the total unemployed population stood at 22.2% and 46.5%, respectively.

The share of higher education unemployment was 46.1% in urban areas and 25.5% in rural areas during the period.

SCI reported that the unemployment rate for university graduates stood at 13.8% in Q3, posting a 0.5% YOY decrease, such that it was 10.3% for men and 22.6% for women.

The general unemployment rate, the proportion of the jobless population of ages 15 and above, stood at 8.9% in Q3, indicating a 0.5% decline compared with the same period of last year.

A total of 2.3 million Iranians were unemployed in Q3.

Men’s unemployment stood at 7.6% while the rate for women hovered around 15.7%.

Over 1.6 million men and 653,168 women of ages 15 and above were jobless in Q3.

The unemployment rate was 9.6% for urban areas (1.87 million people) and 6.8% for rural areas (425,122 people).

SCI provides two figures for the youth unemployment rate: the proportion of the population between 15 and 24 years and those in the 18-35 age-group.

The youth unemployment rate of those between 15 and 24 years reached 23.6% in Q3, posting a 0.1% decrease, while that of the 18-35 age-group stood at 16.1%, posting a decline of 0.4% YOY.

SCI put Q3 labor force participation rate — the proportion of the population of ages 15 and above that is economically active either employed or looking for a job — at 40.9% or 2.58 million people, registering a 0.5% decrease year-on-year.

Economic participation rates for men and women were 68.7% and 13.1% respectively in the same period.

A total of 21.69 million men and 4.14 million women of ages 15 and above were economically active in Q3.

The report also shows that the share of employment of university graduates stood at 25.8% of the total employed population, wherein male and female graduate employment rates were 22.2% and 46.5%, respectively. In urban and rural areas, graduate employment rates stood at 31.5% and 8.7% of the total number of job-holders, respectively.

The general Q3 employment rate was 37.3% (23.4 million), down 0.2% compared with the same quarter of the last Iranian year. Employment rates for men and women were 63.5% and 11.1%, respectively, which constituted 20 million men and 3.5 million women in Q3.

The employment rate was 36.5% (17.72 million people) in urban areas and 40% (5.81 million) in rural areas.

Employment is defined as persons of working age engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to a temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement.

Q3 statistics show that 37.4% of the country’s labor force worked more than 49 hours per week, indicating a 0.5% increase over the same period of last year.