DİSK-AR 2025 report: Broad unemployment in Turkey is 2.4 times the EU average
The latest report from DİSK-AR, based on 2025 data, shows that the unemployment and employment landscape in Turkey points to a deepening chasm. While the broad unemployment rate has reached 29.7%, the inadequacy in youth and female employment is striking.
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The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey Research Center (DİSK-AR) has shared its comprehensive report containing 2025 employment data with the public. Prepared based on Eurostat and TUIK data, the report documents that the unemployment structure in Turkey deviates significantly from EU standards.
RECORD GAP IN BROAD UNEMPLOYMENT
According to the report, while the broad unemployment rate in EU member countries is at an average of 12.2%, this rate is 29.7% in Turkey. These data show that the unemployment rate in Turkey is approximately 2.4 times the EU average. The fact that the gap between narrow unemployment and broad unemployment is so wide serves as proof of the size of the group defined as "idle labor force."
EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK: ONLY 22 MILLION OUT OF 66 MILLION PEOPLE ARE REGISTERED
Data regarding the working-age population has raised questions about the quality of employment. The details highlighted in the report are as follows:
In Turkey, only 22.6 million of the 66.4 million people who are able to work are employed in a registered and full-time job.
These data reveal that approximately two-thirds of the working-age population remain outside of registered and secure full-time employment.
ALARMING FIGURES IN FEMALE AND YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
One of the most striking sections of the report consists of unemployment data for the female and youth population. The gender-based unemployment gap was expressed with the following figures:
The broad unemployment rate among women is at the level of 39.1%.
Only 1 in every 5 women is able to find a place in registered and full-time employment.
While broad unemployment in the youth population is 38.3%, this rate rises to 49.1% among young women, showing that one in every two young women is caught in the grip of unemployment.
The DİSK-AR report shows that beyond official data, the labor market in Turkey is experiencing structural problems and that young people and women, in particular, are facing serious obstacles in labor force participation. Informality and the problem of "underemployment" continue to be the main agenda items of the Turkish economy as of 2025.