Turkish unemployment projected at 11.5 between December-February

ANKARA - The unemployment rate in EU-hopeful Turkey was projected at 11.5 percent in the three-month period between December and February, the State Statistics Institute said Monday.
The survey, based on interviews with some 86,000 people, projected the number of jobless at 2.7 million people.
The country's unemployment rate was 10.3 percent in 2004, with an estimated 2.5 million jobless.
To determine the figures, the institute surveys a number of households in different regions on the basis of international standards, and uses the results to make a nationwide projection.
It is the only available unemployment data in Turkey, but observers warn that the figures do not reflect the real picture when it comes to undeclared or hidden unemployment where educated, qualified people are often engaged in menial, unqualified jobs.
The institute adopted a new survey method this year, under which the figures are calculated monthly on the basis of three-month periods, in contrast to the method of quarterly projections employed earlier.

04/25/2005 09:47 GMT