Turkey’s broadly defined unemployment rate was 28.6 percent in December, with a 0.5 percentage point decrease compared to the previous month, according to official figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Broadly defined unemployment, which also includes those who have lost hope of finding a job, are not actively seeking employment but are ready to work, seasonal workers and those with time-related underemployment, decreased from 29.1 percent in November. The number of employed persons decreased by 42,000 to 32.685 million in November compared to the previous month. The labor force decreased by 328,000 to 35.421 million and the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 53.2 percent. Although TurkStat data paint a positive picture of the unemployment rate in general, the institution’s statistics are met with skepticism.