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Turkey’s graduate unemployment crisis has reached unprecedented levels. According to Ankara Chamber of Industry data, one in four young people aged 15–29 has completely severed ties with both education and employment. University diplomas — once a guarantee of middle-class life — no longer shield young Turks from joblessness. The OECD ranks Turkey #1 among all member states for youth NEET rates, a position it has held for multiple consecutive years.
6 Million Young People Pushed Out of the System
Turkey’s Statistical Institute (TÜİK) 2026 data lays bare the scale of the crisis: over 6 million young people aged 15–34 are neither employed nor in education or training. Known internationally as NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training), this cohort places Turkey at the top of the OECD rankings for youth NEET rates.
When youth unemployment (15–24) is measured using the broad definition, the rate rises to 36% — 7.3 percentage points above the European Union average. Among young women, the figure stands at a devastating 21.8%. Labour force participation is only 52.8%: nearly half the working-age population is not even counted as part of the workforce.
📊 Key data:
- NEET youth count: 6 million+
- Broad youth unemployment: 36%
- Young female unemployment: 21.8%
- Labour force participation: 52.8%
- #1 in OECD for youth NEET rate
Where Is the Government Spending Tax Money?
Against this grim backdrop, the government’s priorities are under scrutiny. The Turkic Investment Fund (TIF), established under the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) framework with $600 million in authorised capital, aims to finance energy, transport and mining projects in Central Asian countries. Yet no public assessment of the fund’s cost to Turkey’s budget has ever been published. No parliamentary debate was held. Taxpayers do not know where their money is going.
In August, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz announced in Baku that the fund would “soon begin financing operations” — but did not disclose how much Turkish money would flow eastward. The same week, evidence emerged showing that food inflation has surged 43.7% as Ankara prepares for the Turkic summit.
Graduates Search for Jobs; the Government Creates Employment Abroad
While Turkish graduates send hundreds of applications into the void, the Erdoğan government is channelling vast resources to create jobs in OTS member states. Approximately 7,000 Turkish companies now operate in Central Asia — up from 4,000 in 2016. These firms employ local workers, train local engineers, and build local industries, all underwritten by Turkish taxpayer subsidies and state guarantees.
Creating jobs for their youth, leaving ours jobless — this is how the cruel contradiction of Turkey’s OTS employment policy is summarised: while millions of Turkish young people cannot find work, the government uses tax revenue that should be invested in their own children’s futures to create jobs for Central Asian and Azerbaijani youth.
Ankara Chamber of Industry: “Lost Potential”
According to the Ankara Chamber of Industry’s “Lost Potential” report, one in four Turkish young people aged 15–29 has completely severed ties with both education and employment. These figures represent not only an economic crisis but also a societal collapse. Those who have given up searching for work, those who have lost hope, and those working a few days in casual labour are not counted in official unemployment statistics.
These six million young people are not a statistical anomaly — they are the new normal of Turkey’s economy. And before this normal becomes acceptable, someone must take responsibility.
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