The Statistical Center of Iran has put labor force participation rate—the proportion of the population of ages 15 and above that is economically active either employed or looking for job—in the fourth quarter of the current Iranian year (Dec. 22, 2019-March 19) at 42.4% (26.22 million people).
It registers a 1.1% decrease year-on-year.
Men’s and women’s economic participation rates were 69.4% and 15.3% respectively in the same period.
According to SCI, 21.49 million men and 4.73 million women of ages 15 and above were economically active in Q4.
Iran’s unemployment rate, the proportion of jobless population of ages 15 and above, stood at 10.6% in winter, indicating a 1.7% decline compared with the same period of last year.
These numbers were calculated between Feb. 1-14, before the outbreak of coronavirus, when the labor market was in better shape, the latest report by the Statistical Center of Iran said.
A total of 2,788,587 Iranians were unemployed in Q4. Men’s unemployment stood at 9.2% while the rate for women hovered around 17.2%. Over 1.97 million men and 812,902 women of ages 15 and above were jobless in Q4.
The unemployment rate was 11.4% for urban areas (2.23 million people) and 8.5% for rural areas (554,330 people).
These figures were calculated between Feb. 1-14, before the outbreak of coronavirus, when the labor market was in better shape, the latest SCI report showed.
“The government will allocate 50,000 billion rials [$312 million] to unemployment insurance fund to support those who have lost their jobs amid the outbreak of coronavirus,” Masoud Babaie, an official with the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, said recently.
“To prevent the spread of the virus, applicants are urged to fill out online forms for unemployment benefits at the newly-designed website Bimebikari.mcls.gov.ir within 30 days, rather than going in person to the ministry’s bureaus."
Babaie noted that as per the joint guideline signed by the Cooperatives Ministry and the Social Security Organization on March 30, workers of 10 job groups and economic subsectors that have been hit by coronavirus outbreak and are subject to the provisions of the Islamic Republic of Iran Labor Law, the Social Security Act and the Unemployment Insurance Law will qualify to receive unemployment benefits for three months, IRNA reported.
The official further said policyholders of other insurers, such as the self-employed, construction workers, carpet weavers, public transportation operators and drivers, are not eligible for unemployment benefits.
Earlier, the Central Bank of Iran released a list of businesses that have been -irectly affected by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the COVID 19. These businesses can apply to receive assistance and facilities from banks.
The list includes food preparation and distribution centers, including restaurants, teahouses and other such centers; tourism centers, including hotels, inns, hostels, road recreation and service providing centers and other such businesses identified by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade; air, rail and road transportation whether inter- or intra-city; travel agencies; apparel production and distribution units; bag and footwear production and distribution units; distributors of nuts and dried fruit, confectioneries, ice creams and juice; sport and recreational centers; cultural and educational centers; and handicraft production and distribution centers, ILNA reported.
