Classification of Rural Areas in Kermanshah Province of Iran Based on Labor Market Indicators

Employment and production in rural areas largely depend on the status of labor market indicators in these areas. These indicators can greatly reflect the extent of rural development as well. The purpose of this study was to classify the rural areas in Kermanshah province of Iran based on labor market indicators. It was conducted in a descriptive-analytical method. The required data were based on the population and housing census of the country in 2016 and analyzed by using TOPSIS, SPSS and GIS software. In addition, 30 key economic indicators of the province were analyzed through TOPSIS and cluster analysis techniques. The study results showed that in terms of the labor market indices of the rural areas, Qasr-e-Shirin and Javanrood were respectively the most developed and non-developed counties of Kermanshah province. Therefore, it could be suggested that the provincial budgeting system would allocate more funds to the undeveloped areas identified by such indices.