The youth unemployment rate is on the rise in Turkey, with many young people abandoning the search for a job, a joint report by the Platform of Young Unemployed and the Students Union said.
The report, titled “The State of Youth on Youth Day,” was released on Tuesday, May 19, which is commemorated as Youth and Sports Day in Turkey.
The report said the number of young people who have stopped looking for a job has reached record levels, pointing out that official data show these people not as unemployed but as out of the workforce.
“As of 2020, employment of the 15-25 age group is at 3,447,000 which is below 2014 levels,” the report said.
“The rise in youth unemployment allows employers to underpay young people [seeking jobs].”
“Growth policies that do not create employment have resulted in an increase in the number of young unemployed people from the 15-34 age group who hold degrees in higher education.”
The report said an estimated 1,168,000 university graduates have stopped looking for work and are now considered to be out of the workforce.
In addition to the surge in the jobless rate, the average duration of unemployment has also been growing, with people of the 15-24 age group looking for a job for more than a year jumping from 74,000 to 183,000.
“Since 2014 employment in the private sector has remained steady, while public sector employment has increased,” the report said, adding that better benefits and fewer working hours drive many young people to seek employment in the public sector. However, the report said the principle of merit is not respected in the public sector, noting cheating scandals in entry exams and nepotism in interviews.