Unemployment rate hits 20-year low of 7.9 percent in March

ANKARA

Türkiye's unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points month-on-month to 7.9 percent in March, marking its lowest level since January 2005, according to official data released on April 29.

The number of jobless aged 15 and over dropped by 65,000 to 2.8 million, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data showed.

The labor force participation rate increased by 0.4 points from a month ago to 53.4 percent in March.

The labor force participation rates for men and women were 71.6 percent and 35.7 percent, respectively.

The country’s total labor force was 35.4 million people as of March, according to the latest data.

The employment rate rose by 0.6 points to 49.2 percent this March, meaning 32.6 million people.

The unemployment rate for men declined from 6.7 percent in February to 6.5 percent, while it fell from 11 percent to 10.6 percent.

Youth unemployment, defined as those aged 15 and 24, edged up 0.1 points from the previous month to 15.1 percent in March. The jobless rate was 11 percent for men and 22.6 percent for women.