Ministry of Science Official: 20,000 PhD Graduates Unemployed

The Deputy Minister of Science has announced that 20,000 PhD graduates in Iran are unemployed. Mojtaba Shariati Niasar stated this statistic on Tuesday, December 24, during a ceremony honoring outstanding students at the University of Science and Industry, adding that currently, 100,000 PhD students are studying. He further noted that only 4,000 of these students have been employed by universities. According to this official, 'The Ministry of Science is not responsible for job creation, but it can enhance the employability of students to increase their capabilities.' On December 13 of this year, Yadollah Mehralizadeh, Deputy Coordinator of Economic Affairs and Human Resource Development of Khuzestan Province, announced that 'about 30 to 35 percent of the 3.5 million unemployed population in Iran are university graduates.' In February 2018, Farhad Rahbar, then President of Azad University, reported that there were 20,000 unemployed PhD students at this university and stated that Iran no longer needs a 'military of students.' In November of that year, the 'Eghtesad Online' website reported 204,000 unemployed individuals in Iran with master's and doctoral degrees. According to the Statistical Center, the largest employed population in Iran, numbering 5,038,000, holds high school diplomas and pre-university degrees. Among the employed population, bachelor’s degree holders account for over 3,123,900 individuals. Additionally, 1,007,900 individuals hold master's or professional doctoral degrees. The smallest employed group in Iran consists of those with specialized doctoral degrees, totaling 100,704 individuals. Based on statistics from 2016, published in May 2018, the unemployment rate among the literate in Iran was 13.1 percent, while for the illiterate, it was 4.6 percent. The IRNA news agency concluded from these statistics that 'the expansion of higher education in the country has not only failed to improve the job market but has also delayed unemployment in the country.' According to these statistics, the unemployment rate among university graduates is about 34 percent, with a significant portion of this population being women. Studies also show that the health field has the lowest unemployment rate at 7.9 percent, while the environmental field has the highest at 49.1 percent. The increasing number of universities and the desire of youth to pursue education have annually confronted the Iranian economy with a wave of graduates seeking jobs. Economic problems, low university quality, and a trend towards credentialism are cited as some of the main reasons for the unemployment of university graduates in Iran.