Turkey’s Statistical Institute (TurkStat) reported that the country's narrowly defined unemployment rate stood at 8.5% in December 2024, while the broader unemployment rate, which includes underemployment and potential labor, remained unchanged at 28.2%.
The number of unemployed individuals aged 15 and over decreased by 39,000 from the previous month, bringing the total to 3.03 million. The unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percentage points. The rate was estimated at 6.9% for men and 11.4% for women.
Employment and labor force participation decline
The number of employed persons fell by 54,000 to 32.72 million in December, with the employment rate slipping by 0.1 percentage points to 49.5%. This figure was 66.9% for men and 32.4% for women.
The labor force shrank by 94,000 to 35.74 million, lowering the labor force participation rate to 54.1%, down by 0.1 percentage points. Among men, labor force participation was 71.9%, while it stood at 36.6% for women.
Youth unemployment rises
In the 15-24 age group, the youth unemployment rate rose by 0.5 percentage points to 16.3%. Within this group, unemployment was estimated at 13.1% for men and 22.1% for women.
The average actual weekly working hours for employed persons remained steady at 42.9 hours, after seasonal and calendar adjustments.
Broader unemployment figures
The broader measure of unemployment, which includes time-related underemployment, potential labor force, and unemployed individuals, stood at 28.2%. The total number of broadly unemployed persons reached 11.5 million.
The combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment was 18.4%, while the rate of unemployed and potential labor force integration was estimated at 19.5%. (VK)
