# Life expectancy gains and shifting labour markets in Turkey > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/life-expectancy-gains-in-eurasia > Updated: 2026-09-08T17:30:00.000Z. Sources: 114. Developments: 7. Turkey’s July 2026 statistical release confirmed that average life expectancy at birth rose to 78.5 years, with women at 81.1 years and men at 75.9 years, preserving a 5.2-year gender gap. Healthy life expectancy stayed near 58 years. The agency linked higher education to longer lifespans. Following a period of improvement in the second quarter of 2026, where the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 7.9% and youth unemployment reached a historic low of 13.9%, new data for July 2026 indicates a reversal in labor market trends. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose by 0.5 percentage points to 8.1%. The total number of unemployed persons increased by 150,000 to 2,860,000. Gender-specific unemployment was reported at 10.6% for women and 6.8% for men. Youth unemployment (ages 15-24) also increased by 1.5 percentage points to 14.5%, with female youth unemployment reaching 20.3%. Employment levels declined in July, with the number of employed persons falling by 388,000 to 32,362,000, resulting in an employment rate of 48.3%. The labor force participation rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 52.5%, while the idle labor force rate rose to 30.6%. The average weekly actual working time decreased slightly to 42.0 hours. By August 2026, İŞKUR reported that the number of registered unemployed individuals rose to 2,337,718, a 1.57 percent increase compared to the previous year. This registered group was 51.1 percent women and 48.9 percent men, with youth (15-24) making up 24.3 percent. During August, İŞKUR facilitated 99,815 job placements. Additionally, municipalities in cities like Istanbul and Ankara have begun recruitment drives for various roles, including technicians and nurses, through İŞKUR without requiring the KPSS exam. ## Claims - The number of employed persons decreased by 388,000 to 32,362,000 in July 2026. (disputed by 20 sources) - The unemployment rate for the 15-24 age group rose by 1.5 percentage points to 14.5%. (disputed by 20 sources) - The unemployment rate for women was estimated at 10.6%, while for men it was 6.8%. (disputed by 20 sources) - The average weekly actual working hours decreased by 0.4 hours to 42.0 hours. (disputed by 16 sources) - The unemployment rate for the 15-24 age group decreased by 1.0 percentage point to 13.9%. (disputed by 10 sources) - The unemployment rate for women was 10.3% and for men was 6.7% in the second quarter of 2026. (disputed by 10 sources) - The idle labor force rate increased by 1.8 percentage points to 30.6%. (disputed by 9 sources) - Total employment in Turkey increased by 227,000 to 32.733 million, raising the employment rate to 48.9%. (disputed by 7 sources) - Turkey’s labour force grew by 58,000 to 35.42 million, lifting participation to 52.9%. (disputed by 7 sources) - The average weekly actual working time was 42.3 hours. (disputed by 7 sources) - Male unemployment rate was 6.5 % and female unemployment rate was 9.8 % in June 2026. (disputed by 6 sources) - The inactive labour‑force (atıl iş gücü) rate was 28.8 % in June 2026. (disputed by 6 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-08: Turkey unemployment rises as municipalities announce new job openings Turkey's registered unemployment rose to over 2.3 million in August 2026, while municipalities continue to announce various job openings through İŞKUR without requiring KPSS exams. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-unemployment-rises-as-municipalities-announce-new-job-openings ### 2026-09-03: Turkey unemployment rate rises to 8.1% in July 2026 Turkey's unemployment rate rose to 8.1% in July 2026, while the inactive labor force rate climbed to 30.6% amid declining employment levels. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-unemployment-rate-rises-to-81-in-july-2026-1 ### 2026-08-31: Turkey unemployment rate rises to 8.1% in July 2026 Turkey's unemployment rate rose to 8.1% in July 2026, with 2.86 million people unemployed. Employment fell by 388,000 people, and youth unemployment climbed to 14.5%. 48 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-unemployment-rate-rises-to-81-in-july-2026 ### 2026-08-19: Turkey reports 86.3 million population and 7.9% unemployment rate Turkey reports a population of 86.3 million as of July 2026, a declining unemployment rate of 7.9%, and a rise in gross external debt to $539 billion. 50 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-unemployment-rate-falls-to-79-in-second-quarter-of-2026 ### 2026-08-01: Turkey's female unemployment hits 166‑month low at 9.8% June data show Turkey's overall unemployment at 7.6% and women's unemployment at 9.8%, the lowest in 166 months, with women filling 78% of new jobs. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkeys-female-unemployment-hits-166month-low-at-98 ### 2026-07-29: Turkey's June 2026 Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.6%, Lowest Since 2005 Turkey's June 2026 unemployment fell to 7.6%, the lowest since 2005, with youth at 12.8%, male 6.5%, female 9.8%, employment up 227 k to 32.7 m and participation at 52.9%. 37 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkeys-life-expectancy-rises-to-785-years-women-outlive-men-by-52-years ### 2026-07-09: Moldova's average life expectancy rises to 72.8 years in 2025 Moldova's life expectancy hit 72.8 years in 2025, up 0.8 years; women live about nine years longer than men, still below EU averages. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/moldova-life-expectancy-reaches-728-years-in-2025-gender-gap-persists --- Cite as: Life expectancy gains and shifting labour markets in Turkey. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/life-expectancy-gains-in-eurasia