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Striking employment analysis from İnan Mutlu: 'Real unemployment is worse than the pandemic!'

Economist İnan Mutlu, in his assessment based on TurkStat data, pointed out that while the official unemployment rate appears to be at 8.2 percent, the idle labor force rate has hit a record high of 31 percent. Mutlu stated, "Real unemployment is worse than the pandemic... The Şimşek program is more destructive than the pandemic."

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As the effects of the policies implemented in the Turkish economy on the labor market continue to be debated, the data shared by Economist İnan Mutlu has revealed the current state of unemployment. It was noted that, contrary to official unemployment rates, the idle labor force, which represents real unemployment, has reached historic levels.

THE GAP BETWEEN OFFICIAL DATA AND THE PAINFUL TRUTH IS WIDENING

In the graph titled HMC2tuQWcAA9TkG.png, shared by Economist İnan Mutlu and based on TurkStat data, the double standard in the labor market is clearly visible.

The striking data highlighted in the graph are as follows:

Official Unemployment in Single Digits: The narrow-defined official unemployment rate (blue line), which has been on a gradual downward trend since the beginning of 2020 despite some fluctuations, has declined to 8.2% as of May 2026 and is following a stagnant course.

Idle Labor Force (Real Unemployment) Explosion: The idle labor force rate (red line), which also includes those who have lost hope of finding a job and underemployment, has entered a sharp upward trend since mid-2023. This rate reached a record high of exactly 31.0% in May 2026.


"THE ŞİMŞEK PROGRAM IS MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN THE PANDEMIC"

In his assessment based on the graph he shared, İnan Mutlu harshly criticized the policies of the current economic management.

The graph shows that even at the peak of the pandemic in May 2020, when the whole world was in lockdown, the idle labor force remained just below the 30% threshold (at approximately 29% levels). Evaluating the fact that current data has surpassed even this disastrous period, Mutlu summarized the situation with these striking expressions:

"Official unemployment is stagnant, real unemployment is worse than the pandemic... The Şimşek program is more destructive than the pandemic."

This analysis, which draws attention to the destruction caused in the labor market by the current economic program led by Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, has once again brought the massive gap between the economic difficulties felt by the average citizen and the official data to the agenda.