The discrepancy between an employee’s education and occupation blights the Iranian market and the main reason behind people’s dissatisfaction with their jobs which, in turn, gives rise to inefficiency along with other economic consequences.
According to a report published by Mehr News Agency, many working Iranians yearn to do something related with their field of study and expertise. They complain that the education system did not help them find the career of their choice and that teachers and school officials never broached the issue of employment at all.
This has given rise to a workforce slogging in different sectors merely to earn an income.
A minority, supported financially by their family or with other sources of income, prefer to remain unemployed because of the lack of a suitable job. The majority are compelled to settle for any job, be they totally irrelevant to their educational background, interests or acquired skills.
Given the hundreds of thousands of educated youth who are unemployed in Iran because of the languishing production sector and the fact that the job market for many majors has been saturated, that pursuing one’s dream job is no longer an option.
Unemployment at 11%
According to the latest statistics released by the Statistical Center of Iran, the unemployment rate in the last Iranian year (ended March 19, 2016) stood at 11%, registering a 0.4% rise compared with the preceding year.
The data also show 9.3% of men and 19.4% of women of ages 10 and above were jobless last year. However, the average rate masks a graver picture as the biggest segment of Iran’s workforce is under 30 years and unemployment shots up to 23.3% for those in the age group of 15-29 years. It is 40.2% for women in the same age group.
As a result, young people in Iran grab any job they can find in fear of crossing the age limit and not getting a better opportunity. This is why we often see people educated in different majors doing a totally unrelated job. This is not without consequences, as the situation blocks creativity, fosters inefficiency and reduces productivity.
According to the report, research shows only 35% of the employed have job satisfaction and the rest are dissatisfied.
“Many in Iran are worried that if they quit their current job in the hope of finding one that they like, they would never succeed and end up unemployed altogether. Add to it the stress of remaining jobless because most jobs are not sustainable,” says Gholamreza Abbasi, the head of an Iranian labor union.
The official said people stick to a job they don’t like because they are afraid of being unemployed, which could be considered “forced labor”.
A solution could be to discover and encourage people’s areas of interest and capabilities from a very early age. Unfortunately, such an approach is missing in the country’s educational system.
