Unemployment at Lowest Level in 12 Years
In Turkey, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 points to 8.7% in 2024, marking the lowest level in 12 years.
The Turkish Statistical Institute released the labor force statistics for 2024. The number of unemployed individuals aged 15 and above decreased by 151 thousand from the previous year to reach 3 million 113 thousand in 2024.
The unemployment rate dropped by 0.7 points in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching 8.7%, the lowest level in the last 12 years. It was estimated at 7.1% for males and 11.8% for females.
EMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASEDThe number of employed individuals increased by 988 thousand to reach 32 million 620 thousand, and the employment rate increased by 1.2 points to 49.5% in 2024. This rate was 66.9% for males and 32.5% for females. LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION GREWThe labor force increased by 837 thousand in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching 35 million 733 thousand individuals, and the labor force participation rate also increased by 0.9 points to 54.2%. This rate was 72% for males and 36.8% for females.
YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT DECREASEDThe unemployment rate among the youth population aged 15-24 decreased by 1.1 points to 16.3% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Within this age group, the unemployment rate was estimated at 13.1% for males and 22.3% for females.6 OUT OF 10 EMPLOYED IN SERVICE INDUSTRYOf the employed individuals, 14.8% worked in agriculture, 20.7% in industry, 6.6% in construction, and 57.9% in the service sector. While the share of the service and construction sectors among the employed individuals increased by 0.3 points compared to the previous year, the share of the industry sector decreased by 0.5 points, and the share of the agriculture sector remained unchanged.
In 2024, 4 million 827 thousand individuals were employed in the agriculture sector, 6 million 746 thousand in the industry sector, 2 million 162 thousand in the construction sector, and 18 million 886 thousand in the service sector. Compared to the previous year, the number of employed individuals increased by 132 thousand in the agriculture sector, 35 thousand in the industry sector, 165 thousand in the construction sector, and 656 thousand in the service sector.
