Türkiye’s unemployment rate drops to 8.2%, lowest since 2012

Türkiye’s unemployment rate fell to 8.2% in the first quarter of 2026, marking its lowest level since 2012, Vedat Işıkhan, the country’s Labour and Social Security Minister, has stated.

Işıkhan said the number of unemployed people decreased by 52,000 compared with the previous quarter, reaching 2.894 million, Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

The unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percentage points.

He also noted improvements among young people, saying that unemployment in the 15–24 age group remained at 15.2%, its lowest level since 2012.

Among women, the unemployment rate fell to 11.1%.

According to the minister, employment in the first quarter reached 32.221 million people, while the employment rate stood at 48.3% and labour force participation at 52.6%.

Işıkhan added that the government will continue programmes supporting employment and the integration of socially vulnerable groups into the labour market.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov