TÜİK announces: Notable increase in unemployment rate

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has released the Labor Force Statistics for July 2026. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose by 0.5 percentage points in July compared to the previous month, reaching 8.1 percent.

The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over also increased by 150 thousand during the same period. Thus, the total number of unemployed reached 2 million 860 thousand. The unemployment rate was calculated as 6.8 percent for men and 10.6 percent for women.

DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS

According to seasonally adjusted data, the number of employed persons decreased by 388 thousand in July compared to the previous month. The total number of employed persons fell to 32 million 362 thousand.

The employment rate also fell by 0.6 percentage points on a monthly basis, settling at 48.3 percent. This rate was recorded as 65.5 percent for men and 31.4 percent for women.

LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE WAS 52.5 PERCENT

In July, the labor force decreased by 238 thousand compared to the previous month, falling to 35 million 222 thousand people. The seasonally adjusted labor force participation rate was calculated as 52.5 percent, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points.

The labor force participation rate was 70.3 percent for men and 35.2 percent for women.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AMONG YOUTH INCREASED

The unemployment rate for the youth population, covering the 15-24 age group, increased by 1.5 percentage points in July compared to the previous month, reaching 14.5 percent.

In this age group, the unemployment rate was estimated at 11.3 percent for young men and 20.3 percent for young women.

AVERAGE WORKING HOURS 42 HOURS

The seasonally and calendar-adjusted average weekly actual working hours decreased by 0.4 hours in July compared to the previous month. The average weekly actual working hours were calculated as 42 hours.

This indicator refers to the average weekly actual working hours of employed persons who were at work during the reference period.

INCREASE IN IDLE LABOR FORCE

The idle labor force rate, consisting of time-related underemployment, potential labor force, and the unemployed, increased by 1.8 percentage points in July compared to the previous month, rising to 30.6 percent.

The combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment was calculated as 20.8 percent. The rate where the unemployed and the potential labor force are evaluated together was estimated at 19.5 percent.

News Source: 12punto