Turkey’s Unemployment at 7.8% by 2028: Cevdet Yılmaz

Turkey’s labor market continued to show resilience through October, according to Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, who evaluated the country’s latest employment data and broader economic trends. In a detailed public statement, Yılmaz emphasized that the country’s labor outlook remained solid, underlining that Turkey has maintained a single-digit unemployment rate for 30 straight months, a trend he said reinforces overall economic confidence.

Yılmaz stated, “While the strong outlook in our labor market continued in October, the unemployment rate, which has remained at single-digit levels for 30 months, has strengthened confidence in the economy.”

Unemployment Falls to 8.5% as Employment Approaches 32.8 Million

Seasonally adjusted figures show that Turkey’s unemployment rate dipped by 0.1 percentage point from the previous month, settling at 8.5%. Meanwhile, the number of employed individuals increased by 185,000, bringing total employment close to 32.8 million people.

Commenting on this performance, the Vice President noted that both demographic groups receiving targeted support—women and young people—benefited from government-backed employment incentives. He stated, “Alongside the incentive programs implemented to support youth and women’s employment, we continue taking steps that make it easier for women to participate in working life, accelerate young people’s transition from education to employment, and reduce idle labor, in line with our inclusive development goals.”

Strengthening Human Capital and Productivity as Turkey Targets High-Income Status

Yılmaz reiterated that the government expects Turkey to be officially classified among high-income economies by 2025, and emphasized that maintaining this status requires consistent investment in workforce quality and productivity. He stressed that while the country aims to increase skills and human capital, it will also continue to support job creation in labor-intensive sectors to sustain balanced growth across industries.

The Vice President said, “As we implement policies to strengthen the qualification and skill levels of our human capital and raise labor productivity—necessary to sustain our country’s expected classification among high-income nations as of 2025—we will continue supporting employment in labor-intensive sectors.”

Forecast: 842,000 New Jobs Per Year Over the Next Three Years

Looking ahead, Yılmaz laid out ambitious expectations for Turkey’s labor market. The government’s medium-term program anticipates that rising labor force participation will be matched by significant job creation. The administration expects annual employment growth of roughly 842,000 people over the next three years.

Yılmaz explained, “With the increase in labor force participation anticipated in our program for the next three-year period, we expect annual employment to rise by an average of 842,000 people, and for the unemployment rate to gradually decline, reaching 7.8% in 2028.”

Policy Alignment With Disinflation and Sustainable Growth

The Vice President emphasized that labor market policies are tightly aligned with the government’s disinflation program, aiming to support employment while enhancing economic stability. He stressed that improving citizens’ purchasing power and ensuring fairer income distribution remain central policy goals.

He stated, “With a growth path that is compatible with the disinflation program, sustainable, and supportive of employment, we aim to raise our citizens’ purchasing power and improve our income distribution.”