Iran's Research Center: Over Four Million Unemployed by 2021

The Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has warned about the increase in unemployment and its consequences, stating that by 2021, there will be over four million unemployed individuals in the country. According to Mehr News Agency, the Research Center has highlighted the economic, cultural, and social dimensions of unemployment, noting that in the past decade, 'approximately eight million people' have entered the working-age population, but only 'less than one million and 300 thousand' jobs have been created, which is '16 percent'. The Research Center considers youth unemployment to be one of the challenges for the Parliament and the government in the sixth development plan of the country. The report emphasizes that the large number of young people who fail to find jobs not only affects employment statistics but also exacerbates social indicators, including rising marriage ages, increasing divorce rates, and other social consequences. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, similarly warned on November 1 of this year that in 2016, one million and 200 thousand job seekers entered the labor market, but the government is unable to respond to this number of applicants. The President stated that the biggest problem for the country in the coming years will be a 'wave of unemployment' and urged government opponents to stop their 'childish disputes'. According to the Statistical Center of Iran, the unemployment rate this summer was 12.7 percent, marking the highest unemployment rate reported in the last 16 seasons. The latest report from the Statistical Center of Iran on the labor market situation this summer indicates that the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 is over 30 percent, showing that the situation for young people is worse than the overall unemployment rate.