Turkey’s broad unemployment at all-time high with 27.1 percent in April

Duvar English

Data by the state-run Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) marked a 0.1-point decrease to 8.5 percent in the narrowly defined unemployment rate in April 2024, while the composite underutilized labor rate, which includes time-related underemployment, potential labor force, and unemployment, increased by 3.1 percentage points to 27.2 percent.

The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over decreased by 18,000 from the previous month, totaling 3,042,000 people.

The unemployment rate for men was 7.2 percent, while for women, it was estimated at 11.1 percent.

The number of employed people in April dropped by 1,000 from the previous month to 32,618,000, and the employment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 49.5 percent. This rate was 66.9 percent for men and 32.5 percent for women.

The labor force decreased by 18,000 from the previous month to 35.661 million, while the labor force participation rate remained unchanged at 54.2 percent. The participation rate was 72.1 percent for men and 36.6 percent for women.

In the youth population aged 15-24, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month to 14.5 percent. In this age group, the unemployment rate was estimated at 12.2 percent for men and 19.1 percent for women.

The average weekly actual working hours for those employed during the reference period, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects, increased by 0.6 hours from the previous month to 44.3 hours in April.

The broadly defined unemployment, or the seasonally adjusted composite underutilized labor rate, increased by 3.1 percentage points from the previous month to 27.2 percent.

The measure combines time-related underemployment, potential labor force, and unemployment.