The number of unemployed individuals aged 15 and older rose by 234,000, bringing the total to 3.305 million. The unemployment rate for men stood at 7.6%, while for women it was notably higher at 12.4%.

Employment figures also showed a downturn. The employment rate decreased by 0.6 percentage points to 49.3%, with the total number of employed persons falling by 341,000 to 32.522 million. The gender gap in employment remained significant, with 66.9% of men employed compared to just 32.1% of women.

The labour force participation rate, after seasonal adjustments, dipped slightly to 54.4%, down by 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. The total number of people in the labour force decreased by 107,000 to 35.827 million. Men's participation rate was 72.4%, while women lagged behind at 36.7%.

Youth unemployment was particularly concerning, with the rate for those aged 15-24 rising by 1.7 percentage points to 17.6%. The rate for young men was 14.8%, while young women faced a much higher rate of 23.2%.

Despite these challenges, the average weekly actual working hours, adjusted for seasonal and calendar variations, saw a slight increase to 44.0 hours.

Finally, the composite measure of labour underutilization, which includes time-related underemployment, potential labour force, and unemployment, rose sharply to 29.2%, up by 3.8 percentage points from the previous month. This measure underscores the broader challenges facing the Turkish labour market, beyond just the headline unemployment rate. (ILKHA)