Number of paid employees increased by 1.8 percent annually in March

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) has published the results of the "Paid Employee Statistics" for the March 2026 period. The total number of paid employees in the industrial, construction, and trade-service sectors recorded an increase of 1.8 percent compared to the same month of the previous year.

The total number of paid employees, which was 15 million 320 thousand 850 people in March of last year, rose to 15 million 601 thousand 250 people in the same period this year. These data revealed that a limited but positive momentum continues in the reflection of economic activity on the labor market.

TRADE AND SERVICES STOOD OUT IN SECTORAL CHANGE

When employment data are examined on a sub-sector basis, a clear divergence between sectors drew attention. The industrial sector was the only main group to experience an employment loss in March, with a 2.7 percent decrease on an annual basis. In contrast, the construction sector grew by 6.4 percent and the trade-service sector by 3.5 percent, driving overall employment upward.

Looking at the changes on a monthly basis, it was observed that the total number of paid employees increased by 0.1 percent compared to the previous month. While there was a 0.3 percent contraction in industry on a monthly basis, there was an increase of 0.9 percent in the construction sector and 0.2 percent in the trade-service group.

News Source: 12punto