The Iranian regime’s Eghtesad News website reported that data from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that the youth unemployment rate in the age group of 15 to 24 is higher than the overall national unemployment rate, with one of the reasons being cited as the limitation in coordinating work hours and education.

Official statistics indicate that the highest level of youth unemployment, aged 15 to 24, was recorded in the winter of 2010.

The state-run Ecoiran website also wrote in a report that in the spring of 2005, the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 was 24%, and in the winter of 2010, the unemployment rate for youth in this age group exceeded 31%, which was the highest unemployment rate recorded in the past 19 years.

Youth unemployment reached 30% in 2016, with one of the reasons being the increased inclination of individuals to enter the job market and the lack of capacity to absorb all the unemployed in the job market.

Ecoiran also wrote in October 2023, based on published official statistics, that the active population in the summer of 2023 reached nearly 26.8 million, and emphasized that the assessments indicate that in the summer of 2023, 2.115 million of these individuals failed to find a job and are considered unemployed.

This economic website, referring to available statistics, wrote that in the summer of 2023, there were 1.643 million unemployed individuals aged 18 to 35 in the job market in Iran.

At the same time, the regime’s Etemad daily also wrote in a look at these statistics that since the coronavirus pandemic, more than 3 million individuals have been added to the “working age population” in Iran, but jobs have not been created to the same extent, and a large portion of the new job seekers remain unemployed.

Media reports in February 2024 indicate that in the fall of 2023, the unemployment rate for women aged 15 to 24 in 26 provinces was above 20%. Ecoiran also addressed this issue and wrote that this rate is higher than this rate for young men in 14 provinces. Statistics published by the Statistical Center show that the unemployment rate for young men in the fall of last year was 18.5%, and this rate for women in Iran as a whole was 28.9%.

Some experts and analysts point out that despite the numerous promises by senior government officials regarding the creation of “millions of jobs,” official statistics indicate the prevalence of youth unemployment in Iran.

Based on this, they refer to official statistics and declare that “42.8% “of the total unemployed population in the country have higher education degrees and a significant portion of them are “educated rural women.”

The regime’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, has been promising the creation of “one million jobs annually” since June 2021, a slogan that has also been repeated by Sowlat Mortazavi, his labor minister, and has faced numerous reactions. Experts have repeatedly emphasized that governments in the Iranian regime manipulate indicators or shift time frames, effectively engaging in statistical manipulation.

Ayat Asadi, a member of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Labor Council, announced that the government will impose a 10% tax on wages exceeding 100 million rials (approximately $163), and based on this, wage increases for workers will be less than 30%.

According to ILNA news agency, Asadi stated that it was planned to reconsider the issue of calculating wages exceeding 100 million rials among taxpayers subject to the 10% tax, through a bill to be sent by the Minister of Labor, but there is still no news of this bill.

Asadi emphasized that discussions on deductions, insurance, and taxes on wages practically limit the increase in minimum wages to less than 30% and less than 20% for other levels.

According to him, taxes on earnings are still exempted based on less than 100 million rials, so the majority of wage earners must deduct 10% tax from their income.

Asadi noted that this is a statistical game to say that wages have mainly reached 110 or 120 million rials (approximately $180 to $196).

According to the approved wage resolution of the Supreme Labor Council, which was only ratified by the representatives of the government and employers, the minimum wage of workers covered by the labor law has increased by 35.3% compared to the previous year.

The increase in wages for other levels was also determined to be 22% plus a monthly fixed amount of 6.9 million rials (approximately $11.5). Considering other wage items, the minimum received by workers covered by the labor law, married and with two children, will be 111.07 million rials (approximately $181.5) next year.

Also, the minimum wage for workers covered by the labor law, married with one child, has been set at 108.92 million rials (approximately $176.5).

The determination of these wages by the representatives of the government and employers has faced widespread protests from labor unions.

The latest “official calculations” indicate that the cost of living basket in the current year has been over 220 million rials (approximately $359.5). However, other figures such as 250 million have been announced (approximately $408.5).

In this regard, the state-run Tasnim News Agency wrote on March 13 that “according to the announced statistics, the poverty line for a four-member household is about 250 million rials ($408.5).”

This is while citizens and many economic experts consider the poverty line, given the nearly 50% inflation, to be at least 300 million rials (approximately $490).

Economic pressures in Iran continue to rise, and with the beginning of the month of Ramadan, the depth of the economic crisis has also become apparent as Iranian media report a minimum daily wage of 2.5 million rials (approximately $4) compared to a household expenditure of 6.5 million rials (approximately $11) for daybreak and iftar meals.

The regime’s rouydad24 website has addressed this issue in a report, stating that the iftar or daybreak for a family of five costs 4 million rials (approximately $6.6).

Based on this estimate, the minimum cost of an iftar meal is also estimated to be between 2 to 2.5 million rials.

According to this report, this expense of 6.5 million rials comes at a time when the average daily income of a simple worker is around 2.5 million rials.

Comparison of the figures provided by rouydad24 indicates that spreading an iftar and complete dinner for a family of five in the past year amounted to more than 2.5 million rials.

Additionally, in 2022, the cost of preparing an iftar meal in the most minimalistic scenario was approximately 1.5 million rials (approximately $2.5).

The website attributes the current trend in Iran’s economy and the resulting conditions for households to the performance of the Ebrahim Raisi’s government, stating: “Now it seems that a century has passed since those days, and the outcome of Ebrahim Raisis’s economic surgery is nothing but economic paralysis.”

It is emphasized based on market activity that for years, wages have lagged behind expenses, and Iranian iftar and daybreak have reduced in size.

Statistics published by the Statistical Center of Iran indicate that in February 2024, the annual inflation rate for food and consumer services in the “red meat and poultry” sector was 93.3%, and in the field of red meat, white meat, and its products, it was 90.7%. This means that in February 2024, Iranians spent at least 90% more on meat purchases than in February 2022.

Furthermore, in February 2024, public transportation services became 57.4% more expensive compared to the same period last year, and consumers paid 62.5% more for hotel and restaurant services compared to the previous year.

Reports indicate that rampant inflation has become one of the biggest economic challenges in Iran. This challenge has severely affected people’s daily lives and made their meals smaller.