The hourly labor cost index for Turkey rose by 9.6 per cent year-on-year during the second quarter of 2011.

This figure was pushed up by a 12.9 per cent rise in the construction industry, while the services sector saw spending in this area climb by 10.3 per cent.

Labor cost items in the services industry were 8.7 per cent higher over the 12 months, while the highest rate of growth was seen within the information and communication field, at 14.6 per cent for the period in question.

Further TurkStat figures have suggested that the joblessness rate in Turkey declined during the three months to June 2011 and the number of people in non-agricultural jobs rose by 1.046 million over the year.

In addition, farm roles increased by 367,000 over the period, with 26.5 per cent of the country's total labor force working in the agricultural sector, 47.2 per cent in services, 18.9 per cent in industry and 7.5 per cent in construction.

Posted by Alex Donnell