Turkey's unemployment rate rose to 10.9 percent in 2016

Rise came despite increased employment as job creation falls behind increasing labor force

By Fatih Erkan Dogan

ANKARA (AA) - The numbers of jobless workers in Turkey rose 0.6 percentage points in 2016 to 3.33 million, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) on Thursday.

The unemployment rate for the year hit 10.9 percent, up from 10.3 percent in 2015 -- an increase of 273,000.

The number of people in employment was 27.2 million, or 46.3 percent, in 2016. An extra 584,000 people were in work last year compared to the previous 12 months, TurkStat said, representing a 0.3 percentage points rise.

The rise in both the employment and unemployment rates showed job creation failing to keep pace with the number of people seeking work.

Turkey’s labor force rose to 30.53 million in 2016 -- up 857,000 on 2015. The labor force participation rate rose 0.7 percentage points to 52 percent last year -- a 0.4 point rise for men and a 1 point increase among women, who recorded 32.5 percent employment.

Kaynak:

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