Gloomy outlook continues in the Turkish economy: The allowance deadlock!
According to data shared by economist İnan Mutlu, the unemployment picture worsened in the first two months of 2026. While more than 350 thousand people lost their jobs in January and February, more than half of those who applied for unemployment benefits could not receive payments due to strict conditions.
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Employment problems in the Turkish economy were reflected in the data in a striking way in the first quarter of 2026. The "Distribution of Unemployment Benefits by Age Group" table, analyzed by economist İnan Mutlu and based on İŞKUR data, revealed how difficult it is for citizens who have lost their jobs to access social security.
350 THOUSAND PEOPLE BECAME UNEMPLOYED, THE NUMBER OF 'ELIGIBLE' REMAINED LIMITED
According to the announced data, a total of 350 thousand 201 people officially applied for unemployment benefits in the first two months of the year. However, only 155 thousand 763 of these applications resulted positively. In other words, 55 out of every 100 people who lost their jobs and expected support from the state could not receive a single penny because they could not meet the legal requirements (such as the number of premium days in the last 3 years and the method of resignation).
THE 'ALLOWANCE' DEADLOCK IN YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
The most striking and thought-provoking part of the table was seen in the young age groups. The low rate of young people who have just entered working life benefiting from unemployment benefits was particularly noteworthy:
15-19 Age Group: Despite 2 thousand 512 applications, only 134 people were able to receive the allowance. The rejection rate in this group was approximately 95%.
20-24 Age Group: While 45 thousand 704 young people applied, only 10 thousand 847 were able to be granted the salary.
MOST APPLICATIONS ARE IN THE 25-29 AGE RANGE
The data shows that the most active and riskiest group in the labor market is the 25-29 age range. In this age group, 76 thousand 945 people reached the peak by applying for unemployment. It was followed by the 30-34 age group with 62 thousand 496 applications.