Unemployment rate in Turkey rises by 1.3% in October 2018 to 11.6%

24 Jan 2019 5 years old
Unemployment rate in Turkey rises by 1.3% in October 2018 to 11.6%
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A further 501,000 people joined the ranks of the jobless to make a total of 3.788 million. The youth unemployment rate rose by 3% in October to 22.3%.

In October 2018, the unemployment rate in Turkey registered a year-on-year rise of 1.3% to stand at 11.6%. In the period in question, the records showed a further 501,000 people joining the ranks of the jobless to make a total of 3.788 million. By contrast, the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey Research Institute data puts the broadly-defined unemployment rate at 18.3%. As to the number of broadly-defined unemployed, this has exceeded 6.351 million.

TURKSTAT: UNEMPLOYMENT STOOD AT 11.6% IN OCTOBER 2018

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) has brought out the labour force statistics for October 2018.

These show a year-on-year increase of 501,000 in the number of unemployed aged fifteen and over in Turkey as a whole, reaching 3.788 million. The unemployment rate rose in the same period by 1.3% to stand at 11.6%.

The unemployment rate rose in October 2018 by 0.2% against the previous month. The non-agricultural unemployment rate is estimated to have risen by 1.3% to 13.6%.

The youth unemployment rate comprising the 15-24 age group rose by 3% in the month in question to 22.3%. The unemployment rate in the 15-64 age group, on the other hand, came in at 11.9% with a 1.4% increase.

The statistics show the number in employment registering a year-on-year increase in October of 225,000 to 28.87 million. The employment rate fell by 0.1% to 47.5%.

With the number of employed in the agricultural sector falling in this period by 187,000, the number employed in non-agricultural sectors rose by 414,000. Of those in employment, 18.5% are in the agricultural, 19.7% in the industrial and 6.7% in the construction sector, while 55% are in the service sector.

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the share in total employment of the agricultural sector fell by 0.8% and that of the construction sector by 0.9%, while the industrial sector’s share rose by 0.6% and that of the service sector by 1%.

LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE REACHES 53.7%

The labour force rose on a year-on-year basis by 726,000 to 32.658 million in October 2018, while the labour force participation rate rose by 0.6% to reach 53.7%. Comparisons reveal that over the same period the labour force participation rate among men rose by 0.6% to 73% and that among women by 0.6% to 34.8%.

The rate of those employed without attachment to any social security institution recorded a year-on-year fall of 0.2% in October to 33.7%. The rate of unregistered employment in non-agricultural sectors registered a year-on-year increase of 0.6% to 22.4%.

Employment adjusted for seasonal factors is estimated to have risen in October against the previous month by 64,000 to 28.863 million. The employment rate remained unchanged at 47.4%. The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed rose by 58,000 compared to the previous month to 3.742 million. The unemployment rate rose by 0.2% to 11.5%.

The seasonally adjusted labour force participation rate rose by 0.2% to 53.6%. Categorized by economic activity, the number of employees decreased by 2,000 in the industrial sector and by 26,000 in the instruction sector, while there was an increase of 53,000 in the service sector and 38,000 in the agricultural sector.

DİSK-AR: BROADLY-DEFINED UNEMPLOYMENT AT 18.3% IN THE OCTOBER PERIOD

By contrast, the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey Research Institute (DİSK-AR)’s calculations put broadly-defined unemployment at 18.3% in the October 2018 period. Calculations that DİSK-AR has made based on Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat), Employment Agency (İŞKUR) and Social Security Institution data show the number of broadly-defined unemployed to be 6.351 million.

A statement issued by DİSK-AR noted, “Standing at 10.3%, standard narrowly-defined unemployment rose by 1.3% to 11.6% in the October 2018 period. The number of narrowly-defined unemployed registered a year-on-year increase of 501,000 to 3.788 million” and made the following determinations:

“The number of broadly-defined unemployed has exceeded 6.351 million, while the broadly-defined unemployment rate was calculated to be 18.3%.”

“The standard unemployment rate increased by 1.3% to 13.6% and seasonally adjusted unemployment rose by 0.2% to 11.5%.”

“The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed increased by 58,000 to 3.742 million.”

“The rate of NEETs (those not in education, employment or training) was stated to be 24.7%.”

“The women’s unemployment rate was 14.7%, while the unemployment rate among young women was 27.9%.”

“Unemployment among higher education graduates was calculated to stand at 13.3%”

DİSK-AR made the following recommendations for bringing about a reduction in unemployment and a lasting and assured increase in employment:

  • There should be an end to using apprentices, work-placees, trainees and scholarship students as a source of cheap labour under the guise of workplace training.
  • Invoking the principle of everyone working less so that everyone may work, the working week should be reduced to 37½ hours without loss of income and the annual limit applied to overtime from 270 hours to 90 hours.
  • Everyone should be granted the entitlement to at least one month’s paid annual leave in line with international labour norms.
  • The public sector has a worthwhile contribution to make in increasing employment. Increasing public-sector employment is of vital importance for bringing about an increase in secure, in-house employment in place of transient and insecure modes of working in the public sector. Public enterprise and services should be reconfigured in a way that will create employment and staff vacancies in the public sector should be filled immediately.
  • An end should be put to insecure modes of working and all subcontracted workers should be brought onto the payroll. Public-sector subcontracted workers should be brought onto the payroll as public workers.
  • Everyone should be provided with secure and quality jobs based on the International Labour Organization’s notion of “decent work.”
  • Trade-union rights and freedoms should be assured, trade-union thresholds abolished and the necessary statutory regulations made for everyone to freely enjoy trade union rights.
  • Those employed within employment programmes for the public good should be transferred to permanent worker status.
  • An end should be put to the out-of-purpose use of the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
  •  An end should be put to sexist practices in the labour market to increase women’s employment and reduce their unemployment and women should be relieved from household care services through the state provision of the necessary quality, widespread and free care services.

    (EVRENSEL DAILY)

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