The Turkish Statistical Institute released its labor force statistics for July. The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over rose by 150,000 from the previous month to 2.86 million.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 0.5 percentage points month on month to 8.1%. The rate was unchanged from the same month last year. The unemployment rate was estimated at 6.8% for men and 10.6% for women.
Youth unemployment reached 14.5%
The unemployment rate among young people aged 15-24 rose by 1.5 percentage points from the previous month to 14.5%. The rate was calculated at 11.3% for men and 20.3% for women.
TurkStat revised data for some months. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was recorded at 9.2% in January 2024, 8.6% in February, 8.8% in March, 8.6% in April, 8.4% in May, 9.2% in June and 9% in July. The same rate stood at 8.5% in January 2025, 8.2% in February, 8% in March, 8.6% in April, 8.4% in May, 8.7% in June and 8.1% in July.
For 2026, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.1% in January, 8.4% in February, 8.1% in March, 8.2% in April, 8.1% in May, 7.6% in June and 8.1% in July.
Employment and labor force participation declined
The seasonally adjusted number of employed people fell by 388,000 in July from the previous month to 32.362 million. The employment rate declined by 0.6 percentage points to 48.3%, with the rate standing at 65.5% for men and 31.4% for women.
The seasonally adjusted labor force also fell by 238,000 month on month to 35.222 million. The labor force participation rate declined by 0.4 percentage points to 52.5%. The rate was 70.3% for men and 35.2% for women.
Among employed people, the seasonally and calendar-adjusted average actual weekly working time of those who were at work during the reference period fell by 0.4 hours to 42 hours.
Underutilized labor force rate reached 30.6%
The underutilized labor force rate, consisting of time-related underemployment, the potential labor force and unemployed people, rose by 1.8 percentage points month on month in July to 30.6%. The combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment was estimated at 20.8%, while the combined rate of unemployment and the potential labor force was estimated at 19.5%.
According to the July data, the total population aged 15 and over was 67.043 million, the labor force was 35.222 million, the number of employed people was 32.362 million and the number of unemployed people was 2.86 million. The number of people outside the labor force was calculated at 31.821 million.
Men accounted for 23.295 million of the total labor force, while women accounted for 11.928 million. The number of employed men was 21.704 million and the number of employed women was 10.658 million, while the number of unemployed men was recorded at 1.591 million and unemployed women at 1.269 million.
