Turkish unemployment rose to 13.9% in April

Turkey’s unemployment rate increased from 13 percent in March to 13.9 percent in April 2021 while the number of unemployed people increased by 275,000 to 4.51 million as youth unemployment was recorded at 25.6 percent.

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Turkey's unemployment rate rose 0.9 percentage points to 13.9 percent in April, while a seasonally adjusted measure of labor underutilization rose to 27.4 percent from 25.7 percent a month earlier, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on June 10.

During this time, the number of unemployed people increased to 4.5 million.

In April 2021, the number of people employed fell by 193,000 people from the previous month, to 28.5 million, while the employment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 44.2 percent.

In comparison to the same month the previous year, the unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 12.9 percent, while, again in comparison to the same month the previous year, the number of unemployed people increased by 468,000, to 4.1 million.

On the other hand, when compared to the same month the previous year, the employment rate increased by 3.9 percentage points to 44.2 percent. The number of people working increased by 2.9 million, bringing the total to 28.8 million.

When compared to the same month the previous year, the employment rate increased by 3.9 percentage points to 44.2 percent. The number of people working increased by 2.9 million, bringing the total to 28.8 million.

Service sector provides most jobs

In April, the number of people employed increased by 62,000 in agriculture and 9,000 in construction, but decreased by 212,000 in industry and 52,000 in the service sector. The agricultural sector employed 18 percent of the workforce, followed by industry with 21.3 percent, construction with 6.4 percent, and service with 54.2 percent.

When compared to the same month the previous year, the rate of unregistered employees, which shows the share of employees working without being affiliated with a social security institution as a percentage of total employees, decreased by 0.8 points to 28.4 percent. In the non-agricultural sector, the rate of informal workers fell by 0.7 percentage points from the same month the previous year, to 16.4 percent.

One-fourth of youth unemployed

The unemployment rate for the young population (15-24 years old) was 25.6 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, and the employment rate was 32.0 percent, up 0.5 percentage points. In contrast, the labor force participation rate for this age group increased by 0.8 percentage points from the previous month to 43 percent.

Meanwhile, according to TÜİK, the workforce increased by 83,000 people in April 2021 compared to the previous month, totaling 32.5 million people, with the labor force participation rate increasing by 0.1 percentage points to 51.3 percent.