Iran Trade Development Organization: Labor Exports Halved

While Iran's Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare announced the dispatch of 100,000 workers in the first half of next year, the head of the Iran Trade Development Organization stated that the volume of labor exports from Iran in the first eight months of this year was $32 million, which is more than a twofold decrease compared to last year. Ali Rabiei promised that 100,000 Iranian workers would be sent to Gulf countries, Canada, Oceania, Europe, and Southwest Asia by the first half of 2023, stating that the range of dispatched jobs includes 'from cooks to technical and professional workers.' He attributed the lack of a 'suitable share' of Iranian labor exports to what he called 'Iranophobia' and 'political issues.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Rabiei on Saturday, December 15, considered labor migration in the context of global economic globalization a 'reality' and added, 'So far, there has not been a proper mindset about Iranian labor abroad, and it has been interpreted as a negative phenomenon of migration.' He stated that unfortunately, 'we do not have a suitable share of labor exports,' adding, 'Part of this issue is related to the instillation of Iranophobia and is due to political issues, but one cannot deny the lack of a serious program and determination for dispatching.' Concurrently with Rabiei's remarks, Vali Afkhami Rad, head of the Iran Trade Development Organization, mentioned that the 'volume' of Iranian labor exports in the first eight months of 2023 was $32 million, a significant decrease from $75 million last year. According to ISNA news agency, he noted that the global labor export volume is $360 million and added, 'If we consider our country's population as one percent of the world's population, the expected labor export should be $3.6 billion, while this figure is currently $32 million.' According to government officials, based on Iran's development program laws, 20,000 Iranians should go abroad for work annually, but in total, 17,200 Iranian workers were dispatched abroad in 2011 and 2012. The Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare also stated that part of the Iranian labor force abroad works traditionally in Gulf countries, while others are dispatched through agreements and negotiations by recruitment companies. According to Rabiei, the destination countries accept jobs such as nursing, specialists in the oil and petrochemical sectors, and construction industries. The Minister further announced the ministry's plans to inspect labor dispatch institutions abroad, stating that the dispatch of 'unskilled and non-specialized' workers by some of these institutions has created a 'negative perception' of Iranian labor. According to information from the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, 65 foreign non-governmental job consulting and recruitment offices are registered across Iran, with 27 offices operating in Tehran. In recent years, various opinions have been expressed about the dispatch of Iranian labor abroad. Reports indicate that a significant portion of skilled Iranian workers migrate independently and outside the plans of government ministries.