Turkey’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 8.1% in July 2026, up from 7.6% in June, when it had reached the lowest level since the series began in 2005. The latest reading matched the May figure, as the number of unemployed increased by 150,000 to 2.86 million.
By gender, the unemployment rate was 6.8% for men and 10.6% for women. Among young people aged 15–24, the jobless rate climbed to 14.5% from 13.0%, with unemployment at 11.3% for young men and 20.3% for young women.
Meanwhile, the employment rate declined to 48.3% from 48.9%, as the number of employed persons fell by 338,000 to 32.36 million. The labor force participation rate slipped to 52.5% from 52.9%, with the labor force shrinking by 238,000 to 35.22 million.
Average actual weekly working hours stood at 42.0 in July, down 0.4 hours compared with the previous month.
