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Over 40,000 workers lose jobs in Turkey

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-27 02:34

ISTANBUL: More than 40,000 workers lost their jobs in the past 10 months due to the world-wide economic crisis, according to a labor union report released here on Wednesday.

The report was made by the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions, which monitor the effects of the economic crisis on workers between October 2008 and July 2009.

The total number of union members laid off since October 2008 reached 40,755 with the number of members sent on unpaid leave of absence reaching 44,340, the report said.

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More than half of the union members who lost their jobs or stayed unpaid were members of the Turk Metal Union and employed in sectors like automotive or the metal industry.

The Turkish economy was severely hit by the global economic crisis. Its industrial output was down 9.7 percent in June compared with the same month a year ago.

The unemployment rate, after reaching a record high of 16.1 percent in February, has improved thanks to the tourism season, although May data indicated that the figure was still at worrying 13.6 percent.