Turkish unemployment rebounds in May, still higher than last year

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey's unemployment rate in May dropped to 8.8 percent, equaling 2.5 million people, according to official data. DHA photo

Turkey’s unemployment rate fell in May over the previous month but still remained higher year-on-year, according to the newest figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

The jobless rate in May dropped to 8.8 percent, equaling 2.5 million people, according to official data.

The May data, which is key to projections for the April-June period, marked a 0.6 percent increase from last year’s same period, with 254,000 people joining the ranks of the jobless.

On a monthly basis, however, the rate slightly fell from 9.3 percent in April.

Non-agricultural unemployment also surged by 0.6 percent to 11 percent.

Data showed that those aged 15 to 24 suffered from poorer job prospects as the unemployment rate for the age group totaled 16.6 percent, 0.7 percentage points higher than the same period a year earlier.

The number of employed people also rose during the period despite the fall in employment in the agriculture sector.

While the number of agricultural jobs dropped by 80,000, jobs in non-agricultural sectors soared 928,000, meaning a total of 26.1 million people were employed.

The overall employment rate was 47.1 percent, 0.8 points higher than last year.