Turkey’s unemployment rate fell 1.1 percent to 13.6 percent in February year-on-year, according to data published on Monday, the Xinhua news website reported.
The figure represents the pre-pandemic period as Turkey began to impose strict measures against the coronavirus in March after announcing its first case.
The government took preventative measures by shutting restaurants, bars, and cafes while at the same time introducing several steps to protect the economy.
The number of unemployed aged 15 and over decreased by 502,000 to 4.2 million in February year-on-year, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
A TL 200 billion ($28.2 billion) stimulus package that included tax postponement, a short-time working allowance, minimum wage support and other measures to preserve commercial life was also implemented.
Meanwhile, on Monday, shopping malls and barbershops were allowed to open their doors as part of the government’s efforts to ease the coronavirus restrictions and start a process of normalization.