Mohammad Mashiianchian, an editorial board member of Iran International, said that among 66 million Iranians of working age, only about 24 million are employed, and official unemployment statistics do not reflect the true picture of the labor market. He added that these figures form the basis for policymaking and cause economic decisions to not match the realities of the labor market.

He also said that the loss of a large number of jobs in recent months and the intensification of economic pressures, especially in deprived provinces, will expand the informal economy and deepen the livelihood crisis.