Economy of Iran - Labor Force

Labor Force

After the revolution, the government established a national education system that improved adult literacy rates: as of 2011 82% of the adult population was literate, well ahead of the regional average of 62%.

Annual economic growth of above 5% is necessary to absorb the 750,000 new labor force entrants each year. Agriculture contributes just over 11% to GDP and employs one third of the labor force. As of 2004 the industrial sector, which includes mining, manufacturing, and construction, contributed 42% of GDP and employed 31% of the labor force. Mineral products, notably petroleum, account for 80% of Iran’s export revenues, even though mining employs less than 1% of the labor force. In 2004 the service sector ranked as the largest contributor to GDP (48%) and employed 44% of workers. Women made up 33% of the labor force in 2005. Youth unemployment (aged 15–24) was 29.1% in 2012, resulting in significant brain drain.