Unemployment rate inches up to 9.1 percent

ANKARA

The unemployment rate rose from 8.9 percent in December 2023 to 9.1 percent in January, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has said.

The number of jobless people increased by 85,000 within a month to 3.12 million people.

The unemployment rate among men was 7.7 percent, while it was 11.7 percent among women.

There were around 65.7 million people in Türkiye aged above 15, and the country’s total labor force was 35.4 million as of January, with 32.2 million people employed.

The labor force participation rate improved from 53.6 percent to 53.9 percent, according to TÜİK data.

The employment rate also rose, climbing from 48.8 percent in the final month of last year to 49 percent in January this year.

The unemployment rate among the country’s youth – aged between 15 and 24 – was 15.5 percent in December but rose to 16.6 percent.

The jobless rates among the country’s male and female youth were 14.1 percent and 21.1 percent, respectively.

In the medium-term economic program, the unemployment rate is forecast to be 10.3 percent for 2024, when the government expects the economy to grow by 4 percent.

The government projects that the unemployment rate will fall to 9.9 percent in 2025 and further down to 9.3 percent in 2026.