Seven Provinces Register Double-Digit Unemployment

Seven provinces in Iran registered double-digit unemployment rates for people of ages 15 and above in the first quarter of the current Iranian year (March 21-June 21), according to the Statistical Center of Iran.
These provinces include Kermanshah (10.2%), Kurdestan (10.4%), Khuzestan (11.2%), Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari (11.9%), Hormozgan (12.1%), Lorestan (12.4%) and Sistan-Baluchestan (12.5%).
According to SCI, Zanjan Province registered the lowest unemployment rate of 4.9% among all Iranian provinces during the period, while Sistan-Baluchestan saw the highest rate of 12.5%.
The unemployment rate of Tehran Province, wherein lies the capital city, stood at 7.6% during the period.
Iran’s overall unemployment rate, the proportion of the jobless population of ages 15 and above, stood at 8.2% in Q1, indicating a 1% year-on-year decrease.
A total of 2.16 million Iranians were unemployed during the period. 
Men’s unemployment stood at 6.8% while the rate for women hovered around 14.8%. 
Over 1.49 million men and 673,071 women of ages 15 and above were jobless in Q1.   
The unemployment rate was 9% for urban areas (1.81 million people) and 5.6% for rural areas (353,929 people).
Zanjan Province had the highest labor force participation rate (50.9%) and Ilam had the lowest labor force participation rate (32.8%). Tehran registered a 40% participation rate in Q1. 
SCI put the overall labor force participation rate — the proportion of the population of ages 15 and above that is economically active either employed or looking for a job — at 41.2% or 26.46 million people in Q1, registering a 0.3% increase year-on-year. 
Men’s and women’s economic participation rates were 68.3% and 14.1% respectively in the same period.
A total of 21.93 million men and 4.53 million women of ages 15 and above were economically active in Q1, i.e., they were either employed or looking for a job.
Zanjan also registered the highest employment rate of 48.4% while Ilam and Sistan-Baluchestan each filed the lowest employment rate of 30.6% among all Iranian provinces. Tehran’s employment rate stood at 36.9%. 
Employment is defined as persons of working age engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to a temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement.
The overall employment rate in Q1 was reported at 37.8% (24.3 million), up 0.7% compared with the same quarter of the last Iranian year. Employment rates for men and women were 63.7% and 12%, respectively, which constituted 20.43 million men and 3.86 million women in Q1. 
The employment rate was 36.8% (18.35 million people) in urban areas and 41.2% (5.95 million) in rural areas. 
Q1 statistics show that 39.8% of the country’s labor force worked more than 49 hours per week, indicating a 0.5% decrease over the same period of last year.