Türkiye’s unemployment rate drops to 8.5% in August

Türkiye‘s unemployment rate fell to 8.5% in August, marking a 0.3 percentage point decrease compared to July, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) on Thursday.

This drop comes as the number of unemployed individuals aged 15 and over decreased by 89,000 to a total of 3.055 million.

Employment rates show improvement

The latest TurkStat data reveals a steady rise in employment figures. In August, the number of employed individuals increased by 78,000, bringing the total employed population to 32.776 million. Consequently, the employment rate in Türkiye rose by 0.1 percentage points to 49.7%.

Unemployment trends by gender, age

Unemployment figures varied between men and women. The jobless rate for men stood at 7%, while for women, it was notably higher at 11.4%. Among young individuals aged 15-24, the unemployment rate saw a slight increase to 16.5%, continuing to reflect challenges for this age group in securing jobs.

Labor force participation declines slightly

While employment figures improved, the overall labor force participation rate declined slightly to 54.3% in August, reflecting a small decrease in the number of people actively seeking employment.

Year-on-year decline in unemployment

Compared to the same period last year, Türkiye’s unemployment rate has dropped by 0.7 percentage points. The overall trend indicates continued recovery in the labor market, albeit with ongoing challenges in certain demographic groups, particularly women and younger job seekers.