TÜİK Announced September 2026 Labor Force Statistics
According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, the unemployment rate was recorded at 8.4 percent in September 2026. Minister Vedat Işıkhan emphasized that the unemployment rate has remained in single digits for 41 consecutive months.
According to the labor force statistics for the September 2026 period announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the unemployment rate for individuals aged 15 and over rose to 8.4 percent, an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous month.
According to the September 2026 data, the number of unemployed persons increased by 198 thousand compared to the previous month, reaching 2 million 967 thousand. The number of employed persons was recorded at 32 million 445 thousand, while the employment rate stood at 48.3 percent. The labor force reached 35 million 412 thousand, and the labor force participation rate rose to 52.7 percent.
In the 15-24 age group, which covers the youth population, the unemployment rate increased by 1.6 percentage points compared to the previous month to 14.8 percent. The idle labor force rate was determined to be 31.2 percent. Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan stated in his assessment on social media that despite the monthly increase in the unemployment rate, it decreased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the same month of the previous year. Işıkhan noted that the unemployment rate has remained in single digits for 41 months and that labor and human-oriented policies will continue.