Turkey's Labour Minister Vedat Işıkhan reports single‑digit unemployment and expanded women’s employment programmes

Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan said Turkey's unemployment rate has remained in single‑digit territory for the past 36 months, standing at 8.2 % in April 2026 and bringing total employment above 32 million people. He highlighted the impact of recent programmes, noting that over 778 000 citizens have benefited, 52 % of whom are women, and that more than 41 000 individuals have gained or retained jobs through targeted initiatives.

Işıkhan also cited EU pre‑accession assistance (IPA II) funding of €323 million, which supported 266 projects across 21 operations, reaching hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries and strengthening institutional capacities. In a related event in Istanbul, the Şule Yüksel Şenler Foundation’s graduation ceremony, attended by Emine Erdoğan, was used to showcase the government’s women‑focused employment drive. Işıkhan praised the effort that has placed 2.3 million women in jobs, raised female labour‑force participation from 21.2 % to 36.2 % over 17 years, and positioned Turkey among the OECD nations with the strongest gains. He announced a new protocol with İŞKUR to extend these initiatives to earthquake‑affected regions and noted that 107 299 vocational courses are now offered nationwide.