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into contraction territory
the Islamic Republic a reading of 45.79 in the fifth Persian calendar month (ended August 22) compared to 50.07 in the preceding month and 50.66 in the month before that.
With any figure below 50 indicating a contraction, the decline in the PMI figures can only be taken as another indication of the deleterious heavy sanctions campaign being waged against Iran by the US. Credit inside the country remains tight for lending, meanwhile, and the long hot summer in Iran is said to have hit demand across multiple sectors, impacting many factories.
Iran Chamber (full name Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture) publishes PMI data for industry overall and 12 of its subfields. It has plans to expand its PMI coverage to sectors including agriculture at a later date.
4.3 ​Labour and income
4.3.1​ Labour market, unemployment dynamics
Pandemic ‘could leave up to quarter of Iran’s workforce jobless’
Iran’s birth rate at lowest in eight years as economy tanks
Iran sets aside
As many as 6.43mn Iranians, making up around a quarter of the workforce of Iran, could find themselves jobless because of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a study by Iran’s Parliament Research Centre.
A minimum of 2.87mn jobs would be lost amid the health and economic emergency, the study also concluded.
Iran’s birth rate has fallen to its lowest level in eight years, the Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI) has reported. ​It dropped by 0.2 to 1.6 per woman in the 2019/2020 Persian calendar year (ended mid-March), with 1,196,135 births recorded.
Iran, a country of nearly 85mn people, recorded 1.38mn births in 2011-2012 with a fertility rate of 1.75 per woman. The fertility rate in Iran has dropped by around 70% over the past 30 years.
The SCI said the 2019/2020 fall in the birth rate was consistent for woman across all fertility age groups, with the decline more visible when it comes to younger couples, who are responsible for the bulk of births.
Observers see Iran’s economic travails of recent years as a major cause of decline in the country’s fertility rate and marriage rate too. Some analysts also point to changes in the role of women in society, saying women still struggle to achieve a balance between work and other life demands.
The SCI also released data forecasting Iran’s population will reach 88.358mn in 2026 and 95.278mn in 2036.
Iran’s parliament recently announced a plan to provide health insurance to infertile couples, health and nutrition support packages to mothers and children, educational opportunities for student mothers, livelihood support to families and improved medical services to pregnant women.
The Iranian government has set aside Iranian rial (IRR) 50 trillion ($305mn at the free market rate, $1.2bn at the government rate) for unemployed
20​ IRAN Country Report February 2021 www.intellinews.com