Advertised wages in Iran frequently differ from final job offers, leaving workers facing reduced salaries and misleading recruitment practices. Labor shortages across industrial regions are worsening, with employers struggling to find skilled workers despite high unemployment. Inflation and low wages make industrial jobs unattractive, while high commuting costs, workplace injuries, and inadequate social support add to worker dissatisfaction. Businesses cite foreign policy tensions, government interference, and corruption as drivers of declining productivity and severe capital outflows, with significant investment moving abroad, especially to Turkey. Economic stagnation, demographic shifts, and widespread worker migration contribute to an ongoing decline in industrial output and overall economic stability.

Contract workers at the South Pars gas field in Iran have been on strike for two weeks over stagnant wages and harsh working conditions, despite an approved wage increase that contractors have not implemented. The death of a worker, Pir Mohammad, has highlighted severe hardships, including extreme heat, inadequate housing, and unsafe working environments. Workers report meagre salaries, lack of medical support, and repression of protests, leading to growing frustration. The article contrasts Iran’s limited utilization of the South Pars field, hindered by sanctions and underinvestment, with Qatar’s economic success and lucrative international gas deals. Iran’s gas imbalance and rising industrial fuel shortages reflect deeper economic challenges, including significant capital flight. Comparisons with other oil-rich nations underscore the disparity between Iran’s potential resources and the poor living conditions faced by its contract workers.