Turkish unemployment down to 9-month low

The unemployment rate now stands at 9 percent of the adult working population, the lowest rate since July 2013, the country's statistics agency, TurkStat, said Tuesday.

The number of people out of work in Turkey has fallen by 168,000 in April to 2.57 million, the same level as at the end of last year, the agency said.

The news comes as inflation was recorded to have fallen to 9.16 percent in June -- fifty points less than the country's yearly inflation rate in May.

The number of employed persons amounted to 26 million 194 thousand in April and the employment rate reached 46.1 percent. 5 million 578 thousand persons were employed in agriculture and 20 million 616 thousand persons worked in the non-agricultural sector. Of those who were employed in April, 21.3 percent worked in agriculture; 20.5 percent in industry; 7.3 percent in construction and 50.9 percent in the services sector.

The jobless figure for 16-24 age group fell by 36,000 in the three months ending April to 724,000, the lowest number in two years.

Unemployment in Turkey had risen above the government target of 9.5 percent to 9.7 percent in 2013 as the labor growth outstripped the number of people employed.

While the number of unemployed people increased by 229,000 in 2013, the number of employed people also rose, by 496,000, from the previous year to reach 25.2 million people in December 2013.

According to its medium-term program, the government foresees unemployment reaching 9.4 percent this year.

That is better than the forecast for the European Union. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, projects that unemployment across the EU will rise to 10.5 percent before leveling off.

In April, the Eurozone unemployment rate fell to 11.7 percent, while the rate for the full, 28-member EU fell to 10.4 percent, the European Union statistical body reported on June.

The number of unemployed people in the Eurozone decreased by 76,000 people in April compared to March, to make a total of 18,751 million, almost 500,000 less than this time last year.

Through all 28 EU countries, the unemployment rate dropped to 10.4 percent, decreasing half a percentage point from April of last year.

Unemployment figures in Turkey are affected by increasing number of Syrian refugees in the country. According to Turkish official, the refugees now total 1,050,000.

Refugees from Syria are all over the country, but especially in the southern Turkey, close to the Syrian border.

Those who have money set up their own businesses, but the majority work illegally, as there is no chance to be employed as a refugee.

Syrians who are looking for jobs are willing to work at half the wages of Turkish workers, especially in the agriculture, production and service sectors.

Syria has been gripped by almost constant fighting since the regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011, triggering a conflict, which has spiralled into a civil war.