TÜİK announces May data: Unemployment rate remains stable, notable increase in idle labor

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has published labor force statistics for May 2026. According to the data, the unemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous month at 8.2 percent, while the number of unemployed persons increased by 9 thousand to 2 million 883 thousand. The idle labor rate rose by 0.9 percentage points to 31 percent.

According to the results of the Turkish Statistical Institute's (TÜİK) Household Labor Force Survey, the number of unemployed persons aged 15 and over in May 2026 was calculated as 2 million 883 thousand, an increase of 9 thousand compared to the previous month.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged on a monthly basis at 8.2 percent. The unemployment rate was estimated at 7.0 percent for men and 10.5 percent for women.

IDLE LABOR RATE INCREASED

The idle labor rate, which includes the unemployed, time-related underemployment, and the potential labor force, reached 31.0 percent in May, an increase of 0.9 percentage points compared to the previous month.

In the same period, the combined rate of time-related underemployment and the unemployed was calculated at 20.2 percent, while the combined rate of the unemployed and the potential labor force was determined to be 20.5 percent.

News Source: 12punto