Unemployment rate at 13.7 pct in 2019

ANKARA

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Turkey's unemployment rate stood at 13.7 percent in 2019, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on March 20.

The figure marked a 2.7 percent rise compared to the previous year.

According to TÜİK, the number of unemployed aged 15 and over in Turkey reached 4.4 million last year – a rise of 932,000 compared to 2018.

The non-agricultural unemployment rate stood at 16.0 percent in 2019, showing a 3.1 percent increase.

"Unemployment rate for the 15-24 age group realized as 25.4 percent with 5.1 percent-point increase, the employment rate in this age group occurred as 33.1 percent with a 1.9 percentage point decrease," it noted.

The figure for people aged between 15-64 climbed 2.8 percent to 14.0 percent, it said.

"The rate of neither in employment nor in education realized as 26.0 percent with 1.5 percentage point increase," TÜİK said.

The number of women participating in the workforce went up 0.4 to 38.7 percent in 2019.

The labor force participation rate dropped 0.2 percent on an annual basis, falling to 53 percent last year.

In 2019, 18.2 percent of total employment was occupied in agriculture, 19.8 percent was employed in industry, 5.5 percent in construction and 56.5 percent in services, the report revealed.

Turkish government targeted a 12.9 percent unemployment rate for 2019 under an economic program announced last September.

According to the program, the unemployment rate will gradually decrease and hit 9.8 percent in 2022.