Turkey’s unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points in October from the previous month to 8.8%, according to figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
However, the labor underutilization rate, which includes time-dependent underemployment, potential labor force and unemployment, surged to 27.6%, the highest level since February 2021, when it reached 28% during the coronavirus pandemic. This rate saw a 1.9-point increase in a month.
The number of individuals in this category increased by 1.7 million over the past year, reaching 3.5 million in October. This growth highlights a significant shift toward part-time or insecure employment as many seek more stable, full-time jobs.
According to labor organizations, this trend is a result of policies designed to meet employers’ demands for flexible labor while citizens struggle to cope with economic challenges.
Women and youth
The October data shows a continued rise in unemployment among women and a decline in female workforce participation. Underemployment among women reached 34.6%, marking a significant gap of 14.1 percentage points compared to men.
Unemployment rate stood at 12.3% for women and 6.9% for men, while broad unemployment for men was 22.3%.
Young people aged 15–24 also faced a high unemployment rate of 16.6%. Among this group, unemployment was 12.6% for men and 23.9% for women. According to calculations by the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions Research Center (DİSK-AR), 4.7 million young people are neither in education nor employment (NEET).
Despite the rising number of unemployed individuals, only 13.3% of those without jobs received unemployment benefits, meaning 86.7% were unable to access unemployment insurance. (VK)
