Türkiye’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 8.2% in February 2025, down by 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced in a statement on Thursday.

According to the results of the Household Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed individuals aged 15 and over fell by 95,000, bringing the total to approximately 2.89 million. The unemployment rate was reported at 6.7% for men and 11.0% for women.

Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted employment rate stood at 48.8%, showing a monthly decline of 0.3 percentage points. The number of employed persons dropped by 149,000 to 32.31 million. Employment among men was recorded at 66.0%, while for women, it stood at 31.9%.

The labour force participation rate, seasonally adjusted, also declined to 53.2%, down 0.4 percentage points from January. The total number of people in the labour force was measured at 35.2 million, with participation rates of 70.8% for men and 35.9% for women.

In terms of youth employment, the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate for individuals aged 15-24 increased slightly by 0.1 percentage points to 15.0%. This figure included a 10.8% unemployment rate for young men and 22.7% for young women.

The average weekly actual working hours, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects, remained unchanged at 43.4 hours.

Lastly, the composite measure of labour underutilization—which includes unemployment, time-related underemployment, and the potential labour force—rose to 28.4%, up 0.2 percentage points month-on-month. The combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment was 18.4%, while the combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force was 19.5%. (ILKHA)