Unemployment climbed and the labor force shrank in January

The Turkish Statistical Institute has released the Labor Force Statistics for January 2026. Data from the Household Labor Force Survey revealed a notable picture on the unemployment and employment front.

MONTHLY INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED

In January, the number of unemployed people aged 15 and over increased by 73 thousand compared to the previous month, rising to 2 million 819 thousand. During the same period, the unemployment rate was calculated at 8.1 percent, an increase of 0.3 percentage points. While the unemployment rate for men remained at 6.6 percent, it reached 11.0 percent for women.

EMPLOYMENT DECLINED, RATE FELL TO 47.9 PERCENT

According to seasonally adjusted data, the number of employed people decreased by 516 thousand in January, falling to 31 million 953 thousand. The employment rate dropped by 0.8 percentage points to 47.9 percent. The employment rate was measured at 65.3 percent for men, while it remained at 30.9 percent for women.

SIGNAL OF WEAKENING IN LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION

The size of the labor force decreased by 443 thousand in January, falling to 34 million 772 thousand. The labor force participation rate also declined by 0.8 percentage points to 52.1 percent. This rate was recorded at 70.0 percent for men and 34.7 percent for women.

UNEMPLOYMENT REMAINS HIGH AMONG YOUTH

The unemployment rate for the youth population, covering the 15-24 age group, increased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous month, rising to 14.3 percent. While the unemployment rate for young men was 11.9 percent, it was higher for young women at 19.0 percent.

WEEKLY WORKING HOURS DECREASED

According to seasonally and calendar-adjusted data, the average actual weekly working hours of those at work decreased by 0.7 hours in January, falling to 42.4 hours.

IDLE LABOR FORCE RATE APPROACHED 30 PERCENT

The idle labor force rate, which represents the sum of time-related underemployment, the potential labor force, and the unemployed, increased by 0.9 percentage points in January to 29.9 percent. While the combined rate of time-related underemployment and the unemployed was calculated at 19.2 percent, the rate where the unemployed and the potential labor force are evaluated together was 20.2 percent.

News Source: İHA