Unemployment in Turkiye falls to 9.2%, gender disparity remains

11 Oct '23

2 min read

Pic: Shutterstock/thomas koch

Insights

Turkiye's unemployment rate fell to 9.2 per cent in August 2023, marking a 0.2 percentage point decline from July.
Employment remained relatively stable at 48.4 per cent, but again showed gender differences: 65.6 per cent for men and 31.5 per cent for women, according to a survey.
Average weekly working hours dropped by 1.1 to 43.3 hours.

Turkiye’s unemployment rate decreased to 9.2 per cent in August 2023, a 0.2 percentage point drop from the previous month. However, the figure conceals gender disparities, with the unemployment rate for men estimated at 7.5 per cent, while for women it stood at 12.6 per cent. The number of unemployed persons aged 15 and over in Turkiye declined by 56,000 to 3,223,000 compared to July 2023.

Simultaneously, the employment rate remained stable at 48.4 per cent, with a slight increase of 1,000 employed persons, totalling 31,686,000. Gender differences in employment were noticeable, with 65.6 per cent of men employed compared to just 31.5 per cent for women, according to data from the Household Labour Force Survey by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

The labour force participation rate, another key metric, saw a minor dip of 0.1 percentage points to 53.3 per cent. The total number of persons in the labour force shrank by 55,000 to 34,909,000. Here too, gender disparities were evident; the rate was 70.9 per cent for men and 36.0 per cent for women.

Youth unemployment witnessed a 0.7 percentage point decline to 17.2 per cent among the 15-24 age group. Gender differences remained, with the rate estimated at 14.2 per cent for young men and a worrying 22.7 per cent for young women.

In terms of working hours, the seasonally and calendar-adjusted average weekly actual working hours decreased by 1.1 hours to 43.3 hours in August 2023.

Adding another layer to labour market dynamics, the composite measure of labour underutilisation increased by 0.4 percentage points to 23.0 per cent. This measure combines time-related underemployment, potential labour force, and unemployment. While the combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment stood at 15.3 per cent, the combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force was estimated at 17.5 per cent.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)

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