Türkiye's unemployment rate rises to 8.1 percent in January

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent in January from 7.8 percent the previous month, the country’s statistical authority said on Feb. 27.

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) reported that the number of unemployed people aged 15 and over rose by 73,000 to 2.82 million.

Unemployment stood at 6.6 percent among men and 11 percent among women in January.

Meanwhile, employment also declined, with 516,000 fewer people working, bringing the total number of employed to 32.95 million. The overall employment rate was 47.9 percent, including 65.3 percent for men and 30.9 percent for women.

The labor force decreased by 443,000 to 33.77 million, with the participation rate at 52.1 percent, down from 51.9 percent in the previous month.

Youth unemployment — covering those aged 15 to 24 — edged up by 0.1 percentage points from December 2025 to 14.3 percent in January. It was 11.9 percent for men and 19 percent for women, said TÜİK.