Data from the Statistical Centre of Iran shows that the unemployment rate for young people aged 16 to 24 is higher than the unemployment rate for the country as a whole.  One of the reasons for this is the limited compatibility of working hours and education.

The website “Eco Iran” also reported in a report that in the spring of 2005, the unemployment rate for young people aged 16 to 24 was 24%.  By the winter of 2011, the unemployment rate for this age group was over 31%, which is the highest unemployment rate recorded in the past 19 years.

Fast forward to today and media reports in February 2024 show that by the autumn of the previous year, the unemployment rate for women aged 16 to 24 is above 20% in 26 provinces [out of a total of 31 provinces in Iran].  Eco Iran also reported on this issue and wrote that the unemployment rate for young men is exceeds 20%  in 14 provinces.  Statistics released by the Statistical Centre show that the unemployment rate for young men in Iran as a whole by the autumn of last year was 18.5%, while the corresponding rate for women was 28.9%.

A number of experts and analysts point out that despite the numerous promises made by senior officials of the Islamic Republic government to create “millions” of jobs, official statistics indicate the true extent of unemployment among young people in Iran.

Based on this, they refer to official statistics and announce that “42.8%” of the total unemployed population of the country are “graduates of higher education” and a significant part of them are “educated rural women“.

There are several reasons for this catastrophic situation:

• Lack of attention by the policy makers in linking the higher and technical education to the structure and needs of the economy.
• Lack of job opportunities: Due to the economic recession, the number of job opportunities in the country is limited.
• Restrictions related to women’s work: Young women face more challenges in finding suitable jobs, especially in rural parts of the country.
• Lack of proper planning and insufficient investment in different economic sectors
• Structural problems in Iran’s economy