Iran’s unemployment rate fell by about 1.3 percentage points in the first quarter— which ended June 21 — to 10.8%, down from 12.1% in the corresponding period a year ago, according to a report issued by the Statistical Center of Iran.

But the jobless rate remained remarkably high in the working age group of 15 to 29. It stood at 23.7% for them, with the rate among young men and women hovering around 20.5% and 35.3%, respectively, indicating women are among those severely hit by perhaps unjust work conditions.

According to data compiled by the SCI, the overall unemployment rate for the quarter was noticeably less than the corresponding quarter in each of the past three years. However, the decline wasn’t due to a sizable spike in job creation but rather because of a significant rise in the number of people who have stopped looking for work.

The labor force participation rate declined 0.5%, to 40.6%, compared with the same quarter last year. A survey conducted by the Parliamentary Research Center estimates that if those who left the labor market during the period were still counted, the unemployment rate would have risen about 1.6%, with the overall unemployment rate notching up 3.1 percentage points to 13.9%.