Over 510,000 Jobs Created in Free and Special Economic Zones

IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – Secretary of Iranian Free Zones High Council Morteza Bank in a TV program on the occasion of the Government Week said some 510,000 jobs have been created in the free trade and economic zones, adding that over 95 percent of the employed in economic zones and 40 percent employed in free zones are busy in the production and industry sectors.

Mr. Bank said that 95 percent of occupation in the special economic zones is in production sector, reiterating all of 210,000 people who are active in the special zones are all in production sector and they are not active services sector.

He said all investments in the special economic zones, like Lamard, Shiraz, Salafchegan, Kerman and Sirjan zones are in production, are fromthe private sector and the government has not injected even one rial into the zones.

Mr. Bank then pointed to the statistics of occupation in the free trade zones and said 40 percent of the occupation belongs to the production sector, over 30 percent to the services sector and some 20 percent to the jobs related to the stores and miscellaneous.

He further said the international stock market is to be launched on Kish Island in the next two months, reiterating that all activities in the free zones are in compliance with international norms.

He then pointed to using cultural figures in the national free zones, noting that one of the honors of the council is that it has succeeded in linking the cultural community of the society to the free zones and one of the big goals of the free zones is to link with the local communities who are very influential in economic development and cultural processes.

Mr. Bank stated that there are general regulations for economic, cultural, social and political activities but free zones are run with special and certain regulations that some of them are only economic, social and cultural.

He further said that economic activities in the zones can speed up if the infrastructures are ready aotherwise in case the infrastructures are not ready, all activities slow down.

On using the domestic or foreign investors in the free zones like Assalouyeh, he said Assalouyeh is a special economic zone and one of the biggest and most important parts of national economy.

He added most investments in Assalouyeh are done by the government sector but the participation of private sector especially in the petrochemical sector in the zone has increased.

Mr. Bank added that one of the biggest developmental parts of the country is in the petrochemical sector especially in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), saying that most of oil and chemical products are exported from this zone as some part of the investment in this zone is governmental and some part by private sector.

He reiterated that PSEEZ is one of the biggest achievements of the Islamic Revolution, adding that Iran’s contract with Japan on developing petrochemical sector in the zone had been prepared before the revolution but after the revolution, the Japanese left the contract due to several reasons and paid the damage, and Japanese’s money was spent on developing Assalouyeh by the then government.

He said today the amount of petrochemical exports from Assalouyeh is valued at $20b.