The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced on Wednesday that Türkiye's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate climbed to 8.6% in June 2025, marking a 0.2 percentage point increase from the previous month.

According to the Household Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed individuals aged 15 and over rose by 52,000, reaching 3.047 million.

The unemployment rate revealed a gender disparity, with men experiencing a rate of 7.1%, while women faced a higher rate of 11.4%. Youth unemployment (ages 15-24) also saw an uptick, reaching 16.2%, up 0.6 percentage points from May. The youth unemployment rate was notably higher for women at 23.7%, compared to 12.3% for men.

Employment figures showed a slight decline, with the number of employed persons dropping by 18,000 to 32.452 million. The employment rate fell marginally by 0.1 percentage points to 48.9%, with men at 66.2% and women at 31.9%.

The labour force participation rate remained steady at 53.5%, with 35.498 million people in the labour force, an increase of 33,000 from the previous month. Participation rates were 71.3% for men and 36.0% for women.

In terms of working hours, the seasonally and calendar-adjusted average weekly actual working hours decreased by 1.1 hours to 41.5 hours in June 2025.

The composite measure of labour underutilization, which includes time-related underemployment, potential labour force, and unemployment, surged to 32.9%, up 1.8 percentage points from May. The combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment stood at 23.0%, while the combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force was 20.3%.

The data highlights ongoing challenges in Türkiye’s labour market, with rising unemployment and underutilization rates reflecting persistent economic pressures. (ILKHA)