Economy, Labor

In 2000 Iran’s labor force was estimated at 19.7 million, of which women accounted for 27 percent. Unemployment stood at about 10 percent for the labor force as a whole, although the unemployment rate for women and men aged 16 to 25 exceeded 20 percent. The agriculture and service sectors employed the greatest number of workers. Although there are numerous government-affiliated trade associations, there are no independent labor unions in Iran.