Türkiye’s unemployment rate rose to 8.5% in August, up 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous month, the country’s statistical authority said Tuesday.

The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over rose by 168,000 to 3.04 million in the month, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) report said.

It was estimated at 6.8% among men and 11.6% among women, it added.

Meanwhile, employment also rose, with 208,000 more people working, bringing the total number of employed to nearly 32.83 million. The overall employment rate was 49.4%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points, with rates of 66.6% for men and 32.6% for women.

The labor force increased by 376,000 compared to the previous month, reaching 35.87 million, with a participation rate of 54%.

Youth unemployment – covering those aged 15 to 24 – increased by 0.8 percentage points from July to 16% in August. The rates were estimated at 12.4% for men and 22.7% for women, according to TurkStat.

Despite a surge in unemployment, the rate remained in the single-digit range as highlighted by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, who, in a social media post, underscored the goal of lowering it below 8%.

“The unemployment rate, which is of great importance not only economically but also in terms of social policies, continues to maintain its stable trend in single digits for 28 months,” Yılmaz wrote on X.

“While progressing with a determined and comprehensive approach in the fight against inflation, we consider increasing employment, one of the fundamental elements of social development, as our priority; (and) we address our goal of reducing unemployment in a multidimensional manner,” he said.

“By the end of the program period, we aim to reduce the unemployment rate below 8% for the first time in history, create approximately 2.5 million additional jobs in our economy, enable greater individual participation in the labor market and enhance societal welfare.”

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