Türkiye’s unemployment rate decreased to a historic low of 7.7 percent in December, the country’s statistical authority said on Jan. 29.
This was the lowest rate on record, which began in Jan. 2005.
The rate was down from November's 8.5 percent, according to data by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).
The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over was down by 286,000 to 2.73 million in December.
Joblessness stood at 6.3% among men and 10.5 percent among women in the same period.
Meanwhile, employment also declined, with 42,000 fewer people working, bringing the total number of employed to 32.68 million.
The overall employment rate was down to 49.1 percent, including 66.8 percent for men and 32.7percent for women.
The labor force also decreased by 328,000 to 35.42 million, with the participation rate at 53.2 percent.
Youth unemployment — covering those aged 15 to 24 — fell 1.1 percentage points from November to 14.1 percent in December. It was 12 percent for men and 18.2 percent for women.
In 2025 as a whole, Türkiye's unemployment rate stood at around 8.3 percent on average.
TÜİK also reported on Jan. 29 that the economic confidence was at 99.4 points in January, stable from the previous month.
In January, three sub-indices posted increases, while two saw declines.
The construction confidence index gained 1.5 percent on a monthly basis, and the services confidence index rose 1.1 percent in January.
The consumer confidence index also gained 0.3 percent month-on-month in January.
On the other hand, the retail trade confidence index dropped 2.4 percent in January, and the real sector confidence index lost 0.7 percent.
A reading above 100 indicates optimism about the overall economic outlook.
