Baku, Azerbaijan, July 22
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's unemployment rate during the first quarter of the country's current fiscal year (March 21 - June 20) stood at 10.7 percent.
The unemployment rate among Iranians above 10 years old in the mentioned three-month period was 0.1 percent more than the same period of time in the preceding year, according to the latest report of the country's Statistical Center, released on July 21.
The figure also indicates a 0.2 percent increase compared to the preceding quarter's unemployment rate (Dec. 22 - March 20).
While about 2.4 million of Iranians above 10 years old were jobless in the mentioned three-month period (ended on March 20), the figure reached 2.53 million by June 20.
All Iranians above 10 years old who worked at least one hour a week, or temporary have left their work during the survey week were included as employed labour force in the report.
The report said that the one hour work a week cites on International Labour Organization (ILO) standards.
Earlier Iran's Statistical Center put the winter's (Dec. 22 - March 20) unemployment rate at 10.5 percent, 1.8 percent less than the same period of time in the previous year (Dec. 22, 2012-March 20, 2013) and 0.2 percent more compared to the preceding quarter's unemployment rate(Sep. 23, Dec. 21, 2013). However the center's latest report indicates that unemployment in the current year's first three months has increased again by 0.2 percent.
Iran's Kerman and Tehran provinces registered lowest unemployment rate with 7.2 percent during the period, meanwhile the highest unemployment rate belonged to Lorestan province (20.3 percent).
The country's labor force participation rate has increased by 2.1 percent from 35 percent in last winter (Dec. 22 - March 20) to 37.1 percent in the spring (March 21 - June 20), according to the report.
It should be noted that the participation rate is the percentage of working-age persons in an economy who, are employed or unemployed but looking for a job.
The country's urban and rural unemployment rate in the mentioned period (March 21 - June 20) stood at 12 and 7.5 percent, respectively.
Over 4.139 million were employed in the agriculture sector, while 6.975 million and 9.99 million people were employed in the industry and services sectors, respectively, according to the report.
Unemployment among men and women was also around 9 and 19.4 percent, respectively during the period.
Mehr news agency reported on July 16 that some 21.337 million people were employed in Iran in the previous fiscal year (ended on March 21).
The urban and rural areas shares were respectively 15.001 million and 6.336 million people.
According to the labor ministry's latest statistics, some 6.336 million women were employed in the country in the previous year.
