TEHRAN - The unemployment rate in Iran stood at 9.4 percent in autumn, a 1.2 percent decrease compared to 10.6 percent the same season last year, deputy interior minister Babak Dinparast said on Wednesday, IRIB reported.

Six provinces, namely West Azarbaijan, Khuzestan, Qazvin, Kordestan, Hormozgan, and Hamedan experienced a rise in the unemployment rate, but the other 25 provinces saw a drop in the unemployment rate, he explained.

Last year’s total employed population was at 24.27 million, nearly 430,000 more than the year before, according to the Statistical Center of Iran.

Also, out of a total of 61.6 million people aged 15 and above last year, about 44.1 percent are in the active population group and 55.9 percent are the economically inactive population who are neither in employment nor unemployed.

In addition, 89.3 percent of the active population was employed while 10.7 percent of whom were unemployed.

According to statistics, the service sector has the largest share of employment with 52.7 percent, then comes to the industrial and agriculture with a share of 31.7 and 15.6 percent, respectively.

The unemployment rate for young people aging 15-24 indicates that 25.7 percent of the active population was unemployed in the winter, which shows a 2.4 percent decline compared to the same period last year.

A study of the unemployment rate of the population aging 18-35 also shows that in the winter, 17.8 percent of the active population was unemployed, which has decreased by 1.6 percent compared to that of a year ago. 

MG