The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) released its latest labor force survey on Monday, showing that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained stable at 8.6% in September 2024.

This data, sourced from the Household Labour Force Survey, revealed an increase in the number of unemployed individuals, with 3.1 million people out of work, up by 35,000 compared to the previous month.

The unemployment rate was notably higher for women, with 12.3% of women unemployed, compared to 6.7% of men.

The employment rate also showed a slight improvement, rising by 0.1 percentage point to 49.7% in September 2024. The number of employed persons increased by 95,000 to 32.8 million, with 67.3% of men and 32.5% of women employed.

The labour force participation rate also saw a modest increase, reaching 54.4%, up by 0.2 percentage points. This growth reflects an additional 131,000 individuals joining the labour force, bringing the total number to 35.9 million. The participation rate remained significantly higher for men at 72.1%, while it stood at 37.0% for women.

Youth unemployment, which tracks individuals aged 15-24, increased slightly by 0.3 percentage points to 17.1%. The rate for young men was 13.5%, while it was significantly higher for young women at 24.0%.

The average weekly working hours remained unchanged at 42.7 hours, according to seasonally and calendar adjusted data. Meanwhile, the rate of labour underutilization, which includes time-related underemployment, potential labour force, and unemployment, decreased by 1.7 percentage points to 25.6%. This decline was driven by a reduction in the combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment, which dropped to 17.3%.

The data reflects ongoing labour market trends in Türkiye and highlights disparities between male and female participation, as well as continuing challenges for youth employment. (ILKHA)