Türkiye’s unemployment rate was at a 10-year low in 2023, down to 9.4% from 10.4% in 2022, according to official data shared by the country’s statistical authority on Monday.
The number of unemployed persons aged 15 years and older decreased by 318,000 to 3.26 million last year compared to the previous year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data.
According to the data, the rate was estimated at 7.7% for men and 12.6% for women.
The number of employed persons aged 15 and older increased by 880,000 to 31.63 million, and the employment rate was 48.3%, 0.8 percentage points higher in 2023 than the previous year.
Meanwhile, the labor force was 34.9 million and the labor force participation rate was 53.3% in 2023.
The youth unemployment rate in the 15-24 age group was 17.4%, a 2-percentage point decrease from the previous year.
Commenting on the data, Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan underscored the unemployment rate realized below the target in the government’s medium-term program (MTP).
“With the 2023 Labor Force Statistics announced by TurkStat, the unemployment rate decreased by 1.0 percentage points in 2023 compared to the previous year, falling to 9.4%. Like this, we have seen the rate below the 10.1% we predicted in the Medium Term Program and the lowest unemployment level in the last 10 years,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Our employment number increased by 880,000 people in the same period, reaching 31.63 million,” he added.
The minister pledged to maintain “our determination in the fight against unemployment and policies that support employment in the coming periods.”
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, in a written statement on his social media account, noted that the unemployment rate dipped to a single figure again after nine years, improving beyond the MTP target of 10.1%.
“The number of employed people increased by 880,000 people, in line with our prediction in the MTP, reaching 31.63 million in 2023. In this period, when we focus on the fight against inflation, the decrease in the unemployment rate and the increase in employment show the strong outlook of our labor market,” he stated in a post on X.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat also evaluated the unemployment figures in a separate statement and stated, “that the positive trend continued despite many difficulties Türkiye has experienced and the Feb. 6 earthquake disaster that left the nation in mourning.”
He recalled that this figure was 8.9% in 2013, 9.9% in 2014, and 10.4% in 2022.
Reiterating the total number of employed individuals, which reached 31.63 million last year and rose by 880,000, the minister said, “In the Turkish economy, there has been a new employment of 12.27 million people compared to 2005. The positive momentum in reducing the unemployment rate has continued in 2023 as well.”
“Our employment rate increased by 0.8 points compared to the previous year, reaching 48.3%. From 2005 to 2023, the employment rate increased by 8.3%,” he noted.
Furthermore, the minister provided information on sector-based employment figures, comparing their respective shares in total employment in 2005 and 2023.
Bolat stated that the share of agricultural employment in total employment was 25.5% with 4.94 million in 2005 and 14.8% with 4.69 million last year.
He pointed out that the share of industrial employment in total employment was 21.4%, construction employment 5.7% and services employment 47.4% in 2005. These rates were 21.2%, 6.3% and 57.6% last year, respectively.
He also pointed out that Türkiye’s breakthroughs in industry have an important impact on labor force statistics. He said, “The contribution of the Turkish construction and construction sector to employment is clearly seen. In addition, these data appear to indicate economic growth in the services field.”
The officials also noted that the labor force participation rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 53.3% last year and reported an increase of 9.2 points compared to 2005.
Comparing the labor force participation rate of women, Bolat noted it surged by 0.7 percentage points to 35.8% last year versus 21.3% recorded in 2005.
Underlining the importance of women’s presence in business life, he said, “With the 2024-2026 Medium Term Program announced immediately after the establishment of our government, it has been seen that our unemployment rate has decreased with the rapid implementation of structural reforms.”
“With the steps to be taken in the coming period, as our production increases, our exports will also increase, thus greatly reducing the unemployment issue.”
“We will work with all our strength to achieve this goal,” he vowed.
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