Türkiye on Friday unveiled a new program aimed at enhancing skills and broadening job opportunities across sectors, as the government seeks to boost employment and ease the transition into the labor market.

Officials say the "Workforce Adaptation Program" is part of the efforts to lower unemployment, raise labor force participation rates and align job seekers’ qualifications with the job market's needs.

"Designed with a new perspective suitable for the spirit of the times, this program will serve as a facilitator, encourager and guide for those entering the workforce. It will enhance citizens’ skills, increasing their chances of finding employment in various sectors," Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz told a meeting to launch the program in Ankara.

Türkiye's unemployment rate rose to 9.2% in June from 8.5% in May, according to official data, as tighter monetary policies weighed on businesses. The rate was 8.7% in April.

Yılmaz said the government will continue to work toward "creating a strong and sustainable labor market, boosting employment and making our workforce more qualified."

He believed that the Workforce Adaptation Program would stand out as a vital tool in the fight against unemployment and contribute to Türkiye’s economic and social development.

Adapting to economic and social dynamics

Also addressing the meeting, Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan stressed the government's efforts to provide opportunities for both employers and job seekers, contributing to developing a skilled workforce that the labor market needs.

"By implementing innovative practices such as vocational training courses, on-the-job training programs and entrepreneurship support, we direct our citizens to qualified and sustainable job opportunities," Işıkhan stated.

Emphasizing the public sector's responsibility to guide the private sector and lead necessary transformations in response to changing economic and social dynamics, the minister said authorities would continue to expand programs and projects to increase employment and improve the quality of the workforce.

Işıkhan further noted that the ministry is committed to implementing every project and program that will contribute to this process, especially those involving structural solutions that will raise registered employment rates and develop a skilled workforce.

He also highlighted that the employment of youth and women is crucial to employment policies.

Describing human capital as one of Türkiye's greatest assets, Işıkhan stressed the need to make it more effective with the knowledge, skills and competencies required by the labor markets and the era and to ensure their adaptability to new professions.

Yılmaz said employment remains one of the top priorities in the government's medium-term economic program (MTP), ahead of a planned update to the road map's forecasts as soon as next week.

"The main goal of our program is to reduce inflation, grow with stability and ensure sustainable prosperity. Employment will remain a central theme of the MTP. As we continue our disinflation process, we aim to preserve and increase employment," said the vice president.

"We are working toward a Türkiye that grows with investment and production and strengthens with employment and exports."

Yılmaz said the government is "not just a spectator of the global transformation happening in the working life."

"Green and digital transformations are leading to profound changes in the labor market, requiring workers to acquire new skills constantly," he said.