Deputy Head of the Supreme Council of Provinces: A Tsunami of Unemployment is Coming

The Deputy Head of the Supreme Council of Provinces has warned of an impending "tsunami" of unemployment and its "unpleasant consequences" in the country. According to a report on Thursday (October 7), Iraj Soleiman Zadeh, in his pre-agenda speech at the 32nd General Assembly of the Supreme Council of Provinces, posed the question to attendees: "Are we aware that a tsunami of 20 million unemployed is on the way?" He criticized officials for their "indifference" to warnings in this regard. In his statements, this council official also referred to what he called the "unpleasant consequences" of unemployment, including "economic poverty, mental health issues, decline in family relationships, and lack of attention to family foundations." Previously, Ali Tayebnia, Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, had described unemployment as the "problem of today" for the country, stating that "the threat of unemployment is more pronounced among the educated, youth, and women, akin to a nuclear bomb." According to statistics provided by the Statistical Center of Iran, the number of unemployed in the country decreased by only 186,494 from 2005 to 2013. This data indicates an unemployment rate of over 11 percent, with approximately 2.6 million unemployed individuals. However, recently, the Fars news agency quoted Kazem Jalali, head of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stating that the unemployment figure is around 5 to 7 million, warning that it could rise to 11 million. The Deputy Head of the Supreme Council of Provinces also asked senior officials, "Do you feel the growing despair of educated girls in finding suitable jobs and marriage? Do you have suicide statistics in our country?" His question about the despair of girls in finding suitable jobs comes at a time when girls accounted for 57 percent of university admissions in Iran in 2016. The increase in the number of female university entrants does not correspond with the acceptance of women in the job market or job opportunities in the country. Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Iranian Vice President for Women’s Affairs, described the job market in Iran in October 2015 as characterized by "gender imbalance" and a "male-oriented tendency." The unemployment rate for female graduates in the country exceeds 65 percent. The representative of West Azerbaijan Province in the Supreme Council of Provinces also identified "unemployment, divorce, cancer, and addiction" as the most significant problems in the provinces of the country, stating to the attendees at this assembly, "Officials do not pay attention to the warnings given to them; this situation is extremely dangerous and must be addressed." Soleiman Zadeh, while referring to the tourism potential of West Azerbaijan Province, its underground resources, and agricultural capacity, stated, "The unemployment of educated individuals in our province is unbearable." Demographic analysis of Iran indicates that in the coming years, 39 million individuals aged 10 and older who are not considered part of the active population will gradually enter the job market, and without attention to investment, the unemployment crisis will worsen.