Turkey saw the number of people out of work decline during October 2010, official figures show.

According to data from TurkStat, joblessness dipped by 1.8 points year-on-year over the month, the World Bulletin reports.

The study by the statistics agency shows the unemployment rate now stands at 11.2 per cent, down from 13 per cent in October 2009.

A fall in the number of people without jobs from 3.29 million to 2.9 million in October 2010 was recorded by the body.

In addition, employment in the country stood at 22.97 million during the month, rising from 22.1 million the previous year.

Turkey has witnessed a climb in its population from just under 70.8 million to 71.6 million during the period in question.

The country is applying for membership of the European Union and is a member of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with around 27.3 million international tourists visiting each year and 48 airports.

Posted by Alex Donnell