Turkey's jobless rate falls to 9.1%

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

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Turkey's unemployment rate fell to 9.1 percent in the three months to December, from 11 percent in the same period of 2010, official data showed on Wednesday.

The number of jobless decreased by 382,000 people to reach 2.42 million on a 12-month comparison, the statistics institute said on the basis of a survey of some 95,000 people.

Turkey's economy had staged a spectacular recovery from the global crisis, growing 8.9 percent in 2010. The government expects growth of 8.0 percent for 2011. For 2012 however Ankara expects 4.0 percent growth, indicating a sharp slowdown owing to the effects of the eurozone debt crisis.

Unemployment remains a major challenge for the government in a country where many young people swell the workforce each year.

Turkey's jobless rate is determined through household surveys across the country which are then used to make a nationwide three-month projection.

But experts say the figures do not reflect the overall picture because of widespread undeclared or hidden unemployment, or the employment of educated, qualified people in menial jobs.