سياستهاي علمي وفناوري در توسعه اشتغال

The Policies of Science and Technology in Promoting Employment

Many economic analysts claim that unemployment in Iran is a structural unemployment. However, a close examination of unemployment indicators confirms that it is, in fact, a blend of structural and cyclical unemployment. The prevailing feature of the latter is its emergence from the lack of sufficient demand. Short term policies in recent years, has been inefficient and ineffective in eradicating this type of unemployment. The present article, by considering some indicators, reviews the defective structure of employment and then, analyses the outcomes of the employment policies in correcting the current trend. The effects of privatization on intensifying periodical unemployment underlines the necessity of reviewing the role of the government, and urges a harmonious and comprehensive policymaking to achieve a flexible and more competitive labour market. In this regard, it is necessary to consider science and technology policies in close relationship with socio-economic policies at macro level. Since this has been widely ignored in science and technology policymaking, some guidelines have been suggested to make these policies more efficient in correcting current approaches and practice. The main axes of these advices are: better understanding of labour market, separating different kinds of unemployment and adopting various and reasonable policies (with an emphasis on youth unemployment and ushering them towards market before higher education level), and finally, considering the impact and outcomes of the science and technology policies.