TEHRAN: Iran’s unemployment rate in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, started March 21, 2017, stood at 12.6 percent, a 0.4-percent rise compared with the same period of past year, Financial Tribune daily reported on Wednesday. The figure also showed a 0.1-percent increase compared with the previous quarter, the report said. Total unemployment people, among Iranians aged 10 and above, were 3.36 million, including 2.25 million men and 1.11 million women. According to the report, the unemployment rate was 14.4 percent for urban areas and 7.8 percent for rural areas.
Iran’s unemployment rate in the last fiscal year, ended March 20, stood at 12.4 percent, registering a 1.4-percent rise from the previous year. High unemployment rate is among the gravest challenges for the re-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s economic team.
