DİSK-AR Unemployment Report: 12.8 Million Jobless in Türkiye

The Research Center of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK-AR) has released its “Appearance of Unemployment Report” for April 2026, revealing a staggering gap between official headline figures and the reality on the ground. According to the DİSK-AR unemployment report, the number of broadly defined unemployed people has reached 12 million 850 thousand, marking a historic peak for the Turkish labor market.

The Growing Chasm: Narrow vs. Broad Unemployment

The report highlights an unprecedented “abyss” between the narrowly defined (headline) unemployment rate and the broader one. While the official headline rate suggests stability, the broad figures tell a story of rapid structural decay.

DİSK-AR Unemployment Report: Key Drivers of the Record Surge

DİSK-AR identifies several critical groups that contribute to the 31.5% broad unemployment rate, which now accounts for one in every three potential workers:

• Potential Labor Force: This includes “hopeless” individuals who have stopped searching but are ready to work, and those who want to work but cannot start immediately due to personal constraints.

• Time-Related Underemployment: Approximately 4.5 million people work fewer than 40 hours per week but explicitly state they want to work more.

• The Gender Gap: Female unemployment remains the most severe category, with broadly defined female unemployment reaching a staggering 40.3%.

The Unemployment Insurance Crisis

One of the most alarming findings in the DİSK-AR report is the lack of a social safety net for the jobless. Despite the record numbers, the vast majority of unemployed individuals are left without financial support:

• 8 out of 10 unemployed people are ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits.

• 5.4 million people want to work but have been unable to find any viable positions, leading many to exit the “active search” phase entirely.

Structural Deterioration

The 23.4 percentage point difference between the two types of unemployment rates is a record high. Economists at DİSK-AR argue that the “headline” rate of 8.1% is increasingly irrelevant, as it fails to capture the millions who have been pushed into the “idle” category due to a lack of hope or insufficient working hours. This divergence signals a deep-seated structural issue where the economy is failing to integrate its working-age population into productive, full-time roles.

Source: t24