Manufacturers Facing Labor Shortage: TCCIM Member

Shortage of manufacturing labor is one of the main concerns of production lines, a member of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture said.
“The minimum wage set by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare has discouraged workers from taking jobs in factories; they are more interested in working for online ride-hailing service providers, restaurants, or even as peddlers,” Hervik Yarijanian was also quoted as saying by ISNA.  
Noting that even a 30% increase in next year’s wages won’t be enough to solve the shortage of labor force in factories, the TCCIM member added that at present, working for the unofficial sector of the economy pays much better.
“The crisis in Afghanistan has forced part of the neighboring country’s labor force to come to Iran, but the current laws make it difficult or even impossible to employ them. It could be possible to tap into this potential and allay the concerns of manufacturing enterprises, if we could make some changes in the laws,” he said.
“These days, the shortage of workforce has put more pressure on producers than issues related to tax and insurance. Insufficient production and supply will eventually increase the prices of goods.