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Turkey's unemployment rate stood at 8.4% in September, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous month, according to labour force data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over rose by 198,000 month on month to 2 million 967,000, while the rate edged down 0.1 percentage points from the same month a year earlier.

Headline unemployment figures

In September, the number of jobless people aged 15 and over across Turkey climbed by 198,000 from August to reach 2 million 967,000. The unemployment rate increased by 0.5 percentage points over the month to 8.4%. Compared with the same month of the previous year, the rate fell by 0.1 percentage points.

The rate was estimated at 6.9% for men and 11.3% for women.

Youth unemployment

Among the 15-24 age group, the unemployment rate rose 1.6 percentage points from the previous month to 14.8%. Within that group, the rate was calculated at 10.4% for men and 23.3% for women.

Employment and labour force

Seasonally adjusted employment fell by 49,000 from August to 32 million 445,000 people. The employment rate dipped 0.1 percentage points to 48.3%, recorded at 65.8% for men and 31.2% for women.

The seasonally adjusted labour force grew by 149,000 month on month to 35 million 412,000 people. The labour force participation rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 52.7%, calculated at 70.7% for men and 35.2% for women.

Working hours and slack labour

The average actual weekly working time of employed people at work during the reference period, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects, slipped by 0.1 hours to 42.4 hours in September.

The rate of slack labour, covering time-related underemployment, the potential labour force and the unemployed, rose 0.2 percentage points month on month to 31.2%. The combined rate of time-related underemployment and the unemployed was 20.5%, while the combined rate of the unemployed and the potential labour force stood at 20.7%.

Data revisions

TÜİK said it had revised data for some months and published seasonally adjusted unemployment rates covering the 2024-2026 period alongside the September release.

Key takeaways

• Turkey's unemployment rate rose 0.5 percentage points from August to 8.4% in September
• The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over increased by 198,000 to 2 million 967,000
• Youth unemployment for the 15-24 age group climbed to 14.8%, with the rate at 23.3% for young women
• Seasonally adjusted employment declined by 49,000 to 32 million 445,000 people