Labour force participation in Çorum is below the Turkish average, and so is unemployment. The invisible work behind the figures and the psychology of it.
The sentence "Unemployment is low in Çorum" sounds like good news at first. Indeed, in 2024 the province's unemployment rate was 6.15%, below the Turkish average of 8.7%. But looking at the same picture through another window, something different appears: according to news reports citing TÜİK's (Turkish Statistical Institute) Labour Force Statistics provincial table, labour force participation in Çorum was 48.1% in 2023, while in Turkey it was 53.3%. In other words, one in every two people of working age is neither working nor looking for work. In this article we look at how these two figures can exist side by side, who those outside the labour force might be, and how "being counted as not working" echoes in people's inner worlds.
Labour Force Participation in Çorum: What Do the Figures Say?
First, let us clarify the concepts. By TÜİK's definition, the labour force is the total of those in work and those looking for work. The labour force participation rate shows what proportion of the population aged 15 and over is in the labour force. The unemployment rate, by contrast, looks only at those within the labour force: it is the proportion of the labour force who are looking for work but cannot find it. This is why lives spent having given up looking for work, or taken up with housework, care or unpaid work in the fields, do not enter the unemployment rate.
The key figures for Çorum are:
- Labour force participation: 50.34% in 2022 and 48.13% in 2023. In Turkey, 53.1% and 53.3% in the same years.
- Employment rate: 45.5% in 2022 and 44.3% in 2023. In Turkey, 47.5% and 48.3%.
- Unemployment rate: 9.7% in 2022, 8.1% in 2023 and 6.15% in 2024. In Turkey, 10.4%, 9.4% and 8.7% respectively.
- Comparison with neighbouring provinces (2023): Labour force participation was 52.06% in Amasya, 55.38% in Samsun and 54.05% in Tokat. Çorum has the lowest participation of these four provinces.
Older data painted a different picture. According to the data used in the Ministry of Industry and Technology's SEGE-2017 study (the Socio-Economic Development Index of provinces), labour force participation in Çorum at that time was 52%, above Turkey's 50.8%, and the province had the 8th lowest unemployment in the country. In SEGE-2025, however, Çorum ranked 51st out of 81 provinces in the employment dimension.
In short, low unemployment does not mean that a high number of people are working. Low unemployment may therefore partly stem from the large size of the population outside the labour force.
The limits of the data
Provincial labour force participation and employment rates by gender could not be found in published sources; the figures on women relate to the TR83 region, which covers Samsun, Tokat, Çorum and Amasya. The rate of informal employment could not be verified at either provincial or regional level. Because provincial labour force estimates are based on sample surveys, small differences between years may be statistical fluctuation. So it is more accurate to look at the trend rather than a single year's value.
Who Is Not Working? The Groups Behind the Labour Force Participation in Çorum Data
There is no detailed provincial breakdown of the population outside the labour force. However, the available data suggest that some groups may weigh heavily in this picture.
Women's work spent on housework and care
Across Turkey, according to TÜİK's Women in Statistics 2024 bulletin, in 2023 women's labour force participation rate was 35.8% and men's 71.2%. Among people aged 25–49 with a child under three, women's employment rate was only 27.1%, compared with 90.1% for men in the same situation. That most housework is done by women is also among the well-known findings of the Turkish Family Structure Survey.
A care indicator specific to Çorum also stands out: according to TÜİK data cited in OKA's (Central Black Sea Development Agency) Regional Plan, in 2022 at least one older person lived in 34.2% of households in Çorum (Turkey 24.1%). Considering that the care of older people is largely taken on within the family, mostly by women, it would not be surprising for this burden to affect labour force participation.
Working in the fields but invisible
Around a quarter of Çorum's population (24.2%) lives in villages; in Turkey this figure is only around 6.4%. In the TR83 region, 38.3% of employment is in agriculture, and 55.3% of those working in agriculture are "unpaid family workers". Unpaid family workers are counted as employed in the statistics, but the reward for their work is not paid directly to them. This labour, without its own insurance or its own income, can limit both a person's financial independence and their sense of being able to say "I work".
An ageing population
Çorum is one of Turkey's provinces with a high proportion of older people. The fact that a significant part of the population over 15 is of retirement age naturally pulls the labour force participation rate down. This is less a "problem" than a reflection of the province's demographic structure. Even so, for some of those who leave the labour force on retirement, this transition can mean a psychological adjustment process involving loss of role and the break-up of daily structure.
Those with a diploma who are waiting
In the TR83 region in 2021, the unemployment rate among women with a university degree was 19.9%; among men with the same education it was 7.3%. This suggests that some educated women may, after failing to find work, eventually stop looking and leave the labour force. This is an inference; it has not been confirmed with provincial data.
A Sociological Reading: Why This Picture?
Several structural factors that bring the groups above together can be mentioned:
- The intertwining of agriculture and industry: Agriculture's share of the provincial economy is around three times the Turkish average. Because agricultural production runs on family labour, part of that labour becomes invisible in the statistics.
- Wage levels: SEGE-2017 emphasises that, although the province's labour force indicators are good, average daily earnings remain low, especially for women. When wages do not cover the cost of childcare or transport, working can seem financially pointless.
- Limited care services: When the care of children and older people falls to the family, this burden is usually met by one of the women leaving the labour force.
- Social expectations: Expectations such as "a woman should be at home" or "a married woman doesn't need to work" can combine with more visible social control in small cities.
There is also a generational dimension. Young women whose mothers and grandmothers worked unpaid in the fields or at home are today starting life from a very different point in terms of schooling and years of education. The gap between these young people's expectations and the order the family is used to can create tension both at home and in the search for work. The same applies to men: a young man who wants to work in a factory or a big city rather than keep up his father's fields may be caught between his family's expectations and his own plans.
Each of these factors is a possible explanation; with the data available, it is not possible to establish a definite cause-and-effect relationship between them.
A Psychological Reading: The Weight of Being Counted as "Not Working"
Being outside the labour force is not always a source of unhappiness. Many people consciously choose to be at home, to look after their children or ageing parents, and are at peace with this choice. But when it is the product of necessity rather than choice, or when the work goes unseen, certain feelings can become pronounced:
- Not being seen and feeling worthless: Being met with "What work do you actually do?" despite working from morning to night can wear down a person's self-worth.
- Financial dependence: Someone without their own income may feel restricted when they have to ask permission even for small expenses.
- Loss of identity: For someone who has studied and imagined a profession, a long wait can raise the question "Who am I?".
- Burnout: Unpaid care work is a job with no working hours. This labour, with no rest and no days off, can lead over time to exhaustion and a build-up of anger.
- Guilt: Someone who wants to work but stays at home because of caring responsibilities may have conflicting feelings towards both themselves and the person they care for.
Let us imagine a woman in her forties who wants to return, years later, to the job she gave up after marrying. The children have grown up, but now her mother-in-law's care is on the agenda. Everyone in the family thinks she is "at home anyway". When she tries to voice her own wishes, she fears appearing selfish; when she says nothing, the hurt inside her grows. This picture is less an individual problem than the result of an invisible division of labour within the family. Our article on the psychology of unemployment may also offer guidance on the feelings created by a long search for work.
For men, too, being outside the labour force can carry its own burden. A man who retires early, cannot work for health reasons or cannot find work for a long time may feel shame and anger when he loses the role of "the one who provides for the household". These feelings often show themselves not in words but in withdrawal, irritability or staying away from home.
Invisible work is not work that does not count; first it needs to become visible in the eyes of the person doing it.
Practical Suggestions for Individuals and Families
If you are outside the labour force and this is wearing you down:
- Note down the tasks you do during the day for a week: housework, care, the fields, the children's school matters... This list makes your work visible, first of all in your own eyes.
- Create a small space of your own: a course of a few hours a week, a walk, meeting a friend. This is not a luxury but a need for your mental health.
- If you want to return to work, make the steps smaller. Options such as public education courses, part-time jobs or women's cooperatives can be a first step after a long break.
- Get informed about financial matters. Knowing how the household budget is managed reduces the feeling of dependence.
For family members:
- See the work done at home not as "help" but as work that needs to be shared. To avoid leaving caring responsibilities on a single person, an open division of labour can be discussed between siblings and partners.
- Take the wishes of the family member who is at home seriously. The question "What are you missing?" often closes a door.
- Consider women's and young people's wish to work in light of their needs, not out of worry about "what people will say".
Our article on the double burden of working women, between home and work, also offers reading that complements this subject.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Not working, or carrying invisible work, is not in itself a mental health problem. However, if the following signs are present, talking to a professional can be helpful:
- If you have been feeling unmotivated, unable to enjoy things or constantly tired for weeks
- If thoughts such as "I'm no use" or "Nobody sees me" are shaping your daily life
- If there have been marked changes in your sleep and appetite
- If you are constantly experiencing anger, impatience or guilt because of caring responsibilities
- If financial matters within the family keep turning into conflict or pressure
If thoughts of hopelessness or that life is meaningless intensify, and thoughts of harming yourself arise, do not wait; in an emergency, call 112 (emergency services).
How Are Invisible Work and Feelings of Worthlessness Addressed in Therapy?
In therapy the aim is not to tell a person "work" or "stay at home", but to open up space for them to build a way of life that fits their own values.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on noticing thoughts such as "If I don't earn money, I'm worthless" or "Wanting something for myself is selfish" and testing them against more realistic thoughts. Behavioural activation aims to gradually increase the activities during the day that give a person meaning and enjoyment. Boundary-setting and self-expression skills can also be worked on.
A schema therapy perspective helps in noticing lifelong patterns such as "self-sacrifice" or "subjugation". These patterns can lead a person to keep postponing their own needs.
When long-standing lack of motivation and low mood are pronounced, work in the area of depression and mood focuses on assessing symptoms and easing them step by step. Where needed, an assessment by a psychiatrist may also be recommended. Sessions can be held face to face in Çorum or online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is labour force participation low in Çorum when unemployment is low?
The unemployment rate looks only at those looking for work. People who are not looking for work and are outside the labour force because of housework, care or other reasons are not included in this rate. An ageing population, unpaid family work and the burden of care can be counted among the possible explanations for low participation.
What does "unpaid family worker" mean?
It is someone who works in a family business or in the fields without receiving a wage directly in return. They are counted as employed in the statistics, but they have no income of their own and often no insurance. More than half of those working in agriculture in the TR83 region are in this situation.
Is it hard to start working after years as a homemaker?
Returning to work after a long break can cause anxiety; this is a natural reaction. Starting with small steps, refreshing skills through courses and discussing the division of labour within the family in advance make the transition easier.
I feel worthless because I'm at home. Is this normal?
Unseen work can lead many people to feel worthless. This feeling does not reflect your worth; it shows that your work is not sufficiently recognised. If it has been going on for a long time and is narrowing your life, talking to a professional may help.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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