Unemployment Rate Rises by 3.4 Percent

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The number of unemployed among those aged 15 or higher rose by 1.116 million in April 2019 compared to the same month last year and became 4.202 million, the TurkStat has announced.

The unemployment rate stood at 13 percent, with a 3.4 percent increase on a yearly basis.

The unemployment rate among the young population (15-24 age group) stood at 23.2 percent with a 6.3 percent increase. In the 15-64 age group, it is 13.3 percent, with a 3.5 percent increase.

Employment decreased

The number of employed decreased by 810 thousand in April compared to the same month last year and became 28.199 million. The employment rate was 46 percent, with a 1.9-point decrease.

The number of employed decreased by 329 thousand in the agricultural sector and by 481 thousand in the non-agricultural sectors.

Among the employed, 17.6 percent were in the agricultural sector, 19.7 percent were in the industrial sector, 5.7 percent were in the construction sector, and 56.9 percent were in the service sector.

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the shares of the agricultural sector among the employed decreased by 0.7 percent, the construction sector decreased by 1.7 percent, the industrial sector decreased by 0.2 percent. The share of the service sector increased by 2.1 percent.

Labor force increased

The labor force increased by 306 thousand to 32.401 million in April 2019, compared to the same period last year. Labor force participation rate decreased by 0.1 percent to 52.9 percent.

Among men, the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.6 percent to 71.8 percent. For women, it increased by 0.5 percent to 45.5 percent.

The rate of those who work without an affiliation to a social security agency was 34.2 percent, with a 0.9 percent increase from last year. In the agricultural sector, it was 23.1 percent, with a 0.7 percent increase. (HA/VK)