Secretary General of Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce Reports: Increase in Labor Migration to Iraq

Jahangir Sanjabi Shirazi, the Secretary General of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce, has reported an increase in the migration of Iranian labor to Iraq, noting that the migration of traders to Iraq is also occurring at a lower level. Sanjabi stated that Iraq has become a nearby migration destination, and with the country's development trajectory and the influx of foreign investors, the demand for both unskilled and skilled labor has risen. In an interview with the 'Entekhab' website, Sanjabi described the increase in migration to Iraq by skilled and unskilled workers as a serious warning, emphasizing that the proximity of the Iraqi border and some cultural similarities with southern and western regions of Iran are fueling young people's motivation to migrate. One point Sanjabi mentioned is the wage levels, stating that when a skilled worker earns $2,000 a month, it translates to nearly 100 million tomans in local currency, which is significantly higher than the minimum wage in Iran. With rising inflation in Iran and a significant gap between income and expenses, many service workers, including skilled laborers and even healthcare staff, are preparing to migrate to neighboring countries. Previously, countries like Turkey and the UAE were mentioned as migration destinations, but according to Sanjabi, Iraq has also become one of the destinations for Iranian labor migration. The intensity of migration in Iran has reached a point where the 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' newspaper reported on May 13 that the number of doctors and nurses who left Iran last year exceeded 10,000, and over the past four years, 16,000 general practitioners have migrated from Iran. Additionally, research institutions in Iran indicate that more than '40 percent' of professors, students, researchers, doctors, nurses, and startup activists in various fields express a desire to migrate, with most citing 'country problems' as major reasons for their migration. The Iran Migration Observatory published a study last year examining the 'migration desire index' among 'students and university graduates, doctors, nurses, professors, researchers, and startup activists,' which found that 'the migration desire index across all surveyed groups exceeds 40 percent.' In other words, based on the statistical data published in this study, 53 percent of professors and researchers, 45 percent of doctors and nurses, 43 percent of startup activists, and 40 percent of students and university graduates express a desire to migrate from Iran.