Employment and Skills Strategies in Turkey
This report on Turkey takes a case study approach, analysing the management and implementation of policies in the provinces of Kocaeli and Trabzon. It provides a comparative framework to understand the role of the local labour market policy in matching people to jobs, engaging employers in skills development activities, as well as fostering new growth and economic development opportunities. It includes practical policy examples of actions taken in Turkey to help workers find better quality jobs, while also stimulating productivity and inclusion.
Executive summary
Turkey’s economy has proved resilient despite a significant number of external threats from the global economy. Future growth is fragile and will depend on improvements in competitiveness and productivity, as well as making better use of existing skills in the economy. Unemployment stood at 11.7% in 2016, which is above the OECD average and contrasts with recent downward trends across many OECD countries. More than 30% of young people in Turkey aged 15-29 were classified as NEET (i.e. not in education, employment or training) in 2014. This value is sharply lower than in 2005, but well above the OECD average of 15.2%.