IRNA – Head of Plan and Budget Organization of Iran Mohammad Baqer Nobakht on Tuesday briefed the government’s efforts to rein in unemployment rate, saying the country’s unemployment rate stood at 10.6% last year.

Nobakht made the remarks while speaking live on his personal Instagram page.

He said that the government’s measures to create jobs and reduce unemployment rate added some 470,000 people to the country’s employed community, reducing some 320,000 people from the unemployed persons last autumn compared to the corresponding period last year.

Nobakht also said that reining in inflation rate was one other goals pursued by the government last year.

The 4% inflation rate in the first Iranian calendar month of Farvardin declined to 1.5%, the point-to-point inflation rate slashed from 51% to 22% and the annual inflation rate reduced from 42.7% to 34.8% respectively, the official said.

He said that although Iran’s economic growth was not satisfactory last year, the country’s economic growth, including oil incomes, stood at -10% over the first and second quarters of the year, while it improved to reach -1.8 over the third and fourth quarters.

Iran’s economic growth, excluding oil revenues, which stood at -1% has also risen to 0.8%, Nobakht said.