Official Statistics Show 40% of Unemployed Are Graduates

In the first quarter of 1402 (2023), the share of unemployed higher education graduates from the total unemployed population was 40.8%. An analysis of changes in this indicator shows an increase of 1.1% compared to the same season last year. Statistics indicate that the share of unemployed higher education graduates from the total unemployed population in spring 1400 (2021) was about 40.2%, which decreased to 39.7% in spring 1401 (2022) but has again increased in the current spring. According to the latest statistics from the Statistical Center of Iran in spring 1402, the unemployment rate for individuals aged 15 and older shows that 8.2% of the active population were unemployed. The active population refers to the total number of employed and unemployed individuals in the country. An analysis of labor force statistics for the entire year of 1401 (2022) provided by the Statistical Center of Iran shows that 938,461 graduates were unemployed, meaning that last year, 12.9% of the total active higher education graduates were unemployed. According to official statistics, there are currently 2,348,957 unemployed individuals reported in Iran, indicating that 40% of the unemployed population are higher education graduates. On Khordad 9, the Fars News Agency reported on the employment conditions of educated individuals, stating that many university majors without job opportunities have been eliminated. Ghasem Omou Abedini, the Deputy Minister of Education at the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, emphasized that the decisions of the Higher Education Expansion Council and the Supreme Planning Council will be widely implemented in 1402, and at least 20% of majors that have no demand and are not needed in provinces and regions will be removed from the admission program for 1402. Mohammad Ali Zolfi Gol, the Minister of Science, Research and Technology, also stated that the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution has considered the organization of higher education and that student admissions will be planned based on 'national priorities and needs.' Zolfi Gol further mentioned that 'this year we will try to impose restrictions on majors with low employability for their graduates.' Despite all the policymaking over various periods, employment and unemployment remain one of the most significant issues in Iranian society, compounded by high inflation and continuous price increases, creating difficult conditions for Iranian families. Inflation is eroding jobs; 'fast food businesses' are on the brink of bankruptcy. An account from a member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution about top rankings; universities have also become a share for the 'wealthy.' A report from a media outlet in Iran indicates a significant increase in waste scavenging in Iran. The economic crisis and the ineffectiveness of marriage incentives have led to a peak in divorces in the spring. The upward trend of internal migration in Iran; the lack of livable conditions in cities is the main reason.