Turkey’s unemployment rate hit 11.8 per cent in October, according to data from the state-run Turkstat agency released on Monday, while youth unemployment was even higher, at 21.2 per cent.
The previous month’s unemployment rate was 11.3 per cent and also marked a rise.
Non-farm unemployment was recorded at 14.1 per cent, levels not seen since 2010.
Turkey’s currency lira has been rapidly losing value compared to the dollar and euro.
Among other woes, the country has been struggling with a collapsing tourism sector amid political unrest within the country and conflict on its borders.
The gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 1.8 per cent in the third quarter, amid lower household consumption.
Stability has also been shaken, in part by an increase in terrorism attacks.
A conflict with Kurdish militants and a coup attempt by a faction in the military in July has resulted in a wide-scale crackdown on the alleged plotters and the wider opposition.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also in the process of orchestrating a constitutional change, which, if passed by referendum this year, would empower his office at the expense of parliament. (dpa/NAN)
