From 'Sea Eater' to 'Neck Holder': New Service Jobs in Iran

Every now and then, there is talk in the media and public discussions about the emergence of new service jobs in Iran. These jobs are not a result of technological changes or the influence of other societies and have mainly appeared in the last decade. Regardless of their quantity and quality, they indicate a transformation in the social and economic system within society. Unlike state media in Iran, I do not refer to these jobs as 'false jobs' because if people (whether they are rent-seekers or not) are paying out of their own pockets for a service, that job is not false. A false job only exists within government structures because it is the government that can appoint individuals to positions that serve no function for society, in order to distribute rent or to create jobs for acquaintances and relatives. However, someone who pays for services certainly needs those services. The emergence of new service jobs signifies the formation of a new situation in society and the emergence of new needs. For this reason, what is referred to as the job of a 'mourner' has become one of the lucrative professions in society over the past decade, and it is one of the false jobs that has flourished solely due to the allocation of budgets from municipalities, government centers, and the leadership apparatus. Even until the late 1990s, mourning for Shia Imams was done voluntarily in religious gatherings, and no one could sustain their livelihood (fully or partially) through this means. Another false job is that of a 'school cleric.' During Ahmadinejad's presidency, about 20,000 clerics were dispatched to schools under a contract between the Ministry of Education and religious seminaries to perform promotional work in schools. Given the presence of Quran teachers, religious teachers, and educational counselors who have been designated for promotional functions in schools for 37 years, the presence of clerics in schools merely creates jobs for tens of thousands of seminary graduates without the need for this many clerics. When we talk about new service (and also non-service) jobs, we mean a socially significant activity that is common, not unique or situational. Therefore, an activity that is performed only due to a very specific and situational need and does not gain generality and continuity is not a job. Below, I will mention a few examples to clarify the issue. Recently, a new job has emerged in affluent neighborhoods in northern Tehran, which provides services to newly married couples. Wealthy families, who have many daily concerns in their lives, agree with this individual to purchase the dowry for their eligible daughter. The salary of the 'dowry buyer' is about 10% of the total amount of the dowry purchase. Additionally, they are also responsible for arranging the dowry in the bride's home after the purchase. In fact, designing the decor and arranging household items is also part of their duties. Previously, the term 'land grabber' was common in Persian. A land grabber was someone who converted agricultural land or gardens into residential areas to profit from it. In recent years, the term 'sea grabber' has also entered the Persian language. A sea grabber is someone who enters the marine territory and dries up water bodies to construct buildings. The properties resulting from this activity are sought after by a new class that is not satisfied with their previous villas and wants to have homes and villas right by the water. This new class has expanded to the extent that previous villas are no longer sufficient for them. 'Patient Companion' is among the jobs that have recently appeared in Iranian hospitals. In many hospitals, individuals are stationed who are introduced to patients needing companions by nurses or other hospital staff, so they can stay with the patient if they wish. Hospitals charge for companions in public hospitals 20,000 tomans with food and 9,000 tomans without food, and in private hospitals, up to 40,000 tomans. However, patients without companions must pay more to have someone accompany them. Those who can meet this need for patients receive about 100 to 150 thousand tomans for staying with the patient for 24 hours and about 50 to 60 thousand tomans for staying for 12 hours. The work of these individuals includes accompanying the patient to doctors and hospitals, obtaining medications and other needs, negotiating with pharmacies and doctors and insurance companies to reduce costs for the patient, reviewing medication lists, and programming for the patient's daily tasks, as well as educating the patient's family on how to deal with the illness and analyzing the illness for them. Additionally, patients who need a companion before and after surgical procedures or other medical actions take companions to avoid being alone. In Iranian prisons, in recent years, a group has emerged whose job has become going to prison. This activity has found a suitable market due to the 23-fold increase in the number of prisoners compared to 1979 (with 10,000 prisoners). 'Neck holders' take on the crimes of others and go to prison in their place, receiving compensation in return. Those for whom going to prison would result in significant financial loss (such as managing a company or service) or whose loss from going to prison is greater than the benefits of being outside prison, or who have financial means, hire others to go to prison for them if they get caught. There have been cases in prisons where individuals are serving time for multiple crimes, and one neck-holding crime is not enough to sustain their lives. Personal bodyguards were only assigned to government officials and clerics at the end of the 1990s, with their costs covered by the public. This type of protection continues. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has the highest protection costs in the country because a 15,000-strong guard force (Sepah Vali Amr) protects him. However, in the 2000s and 2010s, some artists, athletes, and owners of high-income jobs have acquired personal bodyguards. Their justification for this is insecurity. Of course, many in society feel insecure in certain environments and conditions (like women in some places or at night), but only those who can afford it can hire personal bodyguards. Home laboratory technicians have emerged due to the significant increase in the elderly population and rising transportation costs after fuel price hikes. Wealthy and middle-class groups prefer to have their medical tests done at home. For this reason, technicians go to homes and take samples from individuals. This work does not necessarily increase the patient's costs if they have to hire a taxi for transportation. Poor and low-income classes cannot afford either of these two costs. As you can see, none of these new jobs serve the general public from any class or group; rather, they primarily target the affluent and wealthy classes. However, it is not the case that only the wealthy need these services, but only the wealthy and upper-middle classes can afford them. It is clear that low-income individuals would also prefer not to go to prison if they were incarcerated, but they cannot hire a 'neck holder.' Similarly, middle-class individuals would prefer to delegate the hard work of preparing a dowry to someone else, but they cannot afford it. The existence of neck holders indicates that some individuals can buy various punishments, and the judicial system has either come to terms with this issue or turns a blind eye to it. The existence of dowry preparers also means that some view this activity as a professional endeavor. The formation of the 'patient companion' job arises from two social phenomena that have developed alongside each other. The first phenomenon is the decrease in the number of children, migration, weakening family ties, and the rise of individualism, which has deprived some sick individuals of assistance from children and relatives. The second phenomenon is the complexity of the treatment process in Iran. Obtaining medications, issues and problems with using health insurance, poorly educated graduates from some medical universities, the number and types of diseases, and increased awareness among patients have all contributed to this issue. The relationship between patients and doctors has become so challenging that in some cases it has led to the murder or assault of doctors by the patient's family. The emergence and growth of personal bodyguards stem from the concentration of wealth in the hands of those who are not part of the ruling government caste (to be able to hire state protection) but are close enough to government institutions (like heads of large companies) or whose services are needed by the government (like footballers) that they have achieved legendary incomes and wealth and must protect themselves and their families. Sea grabbers respond to the luxurious needs of this class. From a macro perspective and in summary, these new jobs signify the growth of the service sector in Iran's economy, which serves the affluent and upper-middle classes that have emerged or increased in number during the Islamic Republic. They also reflect social trends such as the increasing number of elderly people, weakening family ties, rising class divides, flaunting luxury, and increasing evasion of the law relying on wealth.