The 'multi-digit' problem in unemployment
while the narrowly defined unemployment rate, announced as 8.2 per cent by the turkish statistical institute (tüi̇k), is recorded in the economic administration's success column, broadly defined unemployment has set up camp at the peak with 31 per cent. real unemployment has not dropped to single digits even once in 149 months, equivalent to the last 12.5 years. according to tüi̇k, 2,883,000 people are unemployed, whereas according to the confederation of progressive trade unions of türkiye research centre (di̇sk-ar), 12,627,000 citizens are unemployed.
while the narrowly defined unemployment rate, announced as 8.2 per cent by the turkish statistical institute (tüi̇k), is recorded in the economic administration's success column, broadly defined unemployment has set up camp at the peak with 31 per cent. real unemployment has not dropped to single digits even once in 149 months, equivalent to the last 12.5 years. according to tüi̇k, 2,883,000 people are unemployed, whereas according to the confederation of progressive trade unions of türkiye research centre (di̇sk-ar), 12,627,000 citizens are unemployed.
Unemployment in the country does not forget the peak it has seen. While the May labour force data announced by TÜİK is a source of pride for the AKP economic administration, the same data means starvation for millions of citizens.
TÜİK calculated the narrowly defined unemployment rate as 8.2 per cent in May. Despite this, the labour underutilisation rate, which expresses real unemployment, namely broadly defined unemployment, is hovering near its highest levels at 31 per cent.
The economic administration's rhetoric that "The single-digit streak in unemployment has reached its 37th month" cannot cover up the real unemployment rate that has set up camp at the peak.
Real unemployment has not dropped to single digits even once since January 2014, when the calculation method for unemployment data changed and began to be calculated on a monthly basis, including May 2026. This period indicates that, contrary to what is boasted, real unemployment has not dropped to single digits once in exactly 12.5 years, 149 months, 648 weeks, or 4,534 days.
While the real unemployment rate was calculated as 17.8 per cent in January 2014, this rate was 15.3 per cent in September 2019, when it saw its lowest level in the last 12.5 years. According to the data revised by TÜİK, the highest broadly defined unemployment rate occurred in June 2025 at 31.6 per cent. While broadly defined unemployment has been hovering above even 25 per cent for 24 months, it has not seen below 20 per cent for exactly 77 consecutive months.
THE GAP IS NOT CLOSING
Contrary to the statement by the Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, "We are supporting young people and women primarily," neither youth unemployment nor the gap between men and women is closing.
The narrowly defined unemployment rate in the young population, covering the 15-24 age group, was 14.8 per cent. The unemployment rate in this age group was calculated as 11.2 per cent for men and 21.8 per cent for women. Inequality continues to show itself in real female unemployment as well. According to the DİSK-AR report, broadly defined female unemployment is at the highest level among all unemployment types at 40.8 per cent.
BACK AND FORTH ON THE SAME LINE
While the DİSK-AR calculation reveals that the real number of unemployed people is 12,627,000, TÜİK counts only 2,883,000 of them as unemployed. According to TÜİK, the number of unemployed people was 2,820,000 in January 2014 as well. It drew attention that despite the changes in the population, the working-age population, and the number of people participating in the labour force over the past 12 years, the number of unemployed and the unemployment rates are hovering at similar levels.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled İşsizlikte ‘çok hane’ problemi, published in BirGün newspaper on July 1, 2026.