Türkiye's unemployment rate drops to 10-year low
Türkiye records a significant drop in unemployment to 9.4% in 2023, marking a decade low, with 31.6 million individuals employed
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) revealed Monday that Türkiye's unemployment rate hit a 10-year low in 2023, declining to 9.4% from 10.4% in 2022.
The data indicates a significant decrease of 318,000 unemployed individuals, totaling 3.26 million for the year.
In terms of gender, the unemployment rate was 12.6% for women and 7.7% for men in 2023.
During the period of 2013 to 2023, Türkiye's annual unemployment rates were as follows:
| Years | Unemployment Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 8.9 |
| 2014 | 9.9 |
| 2015 | 10.3 |
| 2016 | 10.9 |
| 2017 | 10.9 |
| 2018 | 10.9 |
| 2019 | 13.7 |
| 2020 | 13.1 |
| 2021 | 12.0 |
| 2022 | 10.4 |
| 2023 | 9.4 |
Employment rate reaches 48.3%
The number of employed individuals surged by 880,000 to reach 31.6 million in 2023 compared to the previous year, resulting in an employment rate of 48.3%, marking a 0.8 percentage point increase.
The labor force expanded to 34.9 million, with a labor force participation rate of 53.3% in 2023, reflecting an increase of 562,000 individuals. Among them, male participation was at 71.2%, while female participation stood at 35.8%.
Youth unemployment within the 15-24 age group decreased by 2 percentage points, settling at 17.4% in 2023.
The service sector claimed the lion's share of employment at 57.6%, followed by industry at 21.2%, agriculture at 14.8%, and construction at 6.3%. Notably, the service sector saw a 1.1 percentage point increase in its share of employment compared to the previous year.
Regions with lowest and highest unemployment rates
Türkiye's unemployment rates vary significantly across different regions.
The region with the highest unemployment rate is TRB2 – which includes Van, Mus, Bitlis, and Hakkari – with 17.2%.
The region with the lowest unemployment rate is TR82 – which comprises Kastamonu, Cankırı and Sinop – with 4.9%.
Source: Newsroom
