SANANDAJ, Kordestan Prov. (IRNA) – Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ebrahim Jalali said the government was determined to cut the unemployment rate to 8.4 percent by the end of the Fourth Development Plan (2005-10).

Speaking to reporters late Sunday in this northwestern Iranian province, Jalali said the government was determined to create 900,000 jobs each year during the plan to cut the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 12.4 percent.

He further said that curbing smuggling was one of the most important means of reducing unemployment.

"Smuggling spoils more than 500,000 job opportunities every year," he added.

Jalali noted that customs administration and border security have been strengthened while import and export tariffs have been reviewed.

Referring to the role of small economic firms in the national economy, he said 180,000 billion rials have been earmarked to encourage creation of small economic firms that are the antidote to the problem of unemployment.

"In the effort to create jobs, the government has allocated 20 percent of bank credits to provinces to help open job opportunities in the last Iranian year (ended March 20)," he said, adding that the figure currently stands at 35 percent and is expected to increase to about 50 percent in the next Iranian year.