1 in 4 university graduates in Türkiye unemployed: OECD

ISTANBUL

A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has revealed that one out of every four university graduates in Türkiye are unemployed, placing the country at the bottom of the list.

The “Education at a Glance” report, summarized by the Turkish Education Association (TED), indicated that the employment rate for university graduates and even high school graduates in Türkiye remains low.

Türkiye also has one of the lowest rates of young adults aged 18-24 in education or employment, with 31.1 percent of this age group falling under the category. The figure starkly contrasts the OECD average of 13.7 percent.

Additionally, the report highlights Türkiye’s broader challenges in education and employment. Despite progress since 2016, such as an increase in high school diploma holders from 83 percent to 86 percent, the country still struggles with high numbers of young adults neither in education nor the workforce.

In 2023, 30 percent of individuals without a high school diploma were not employed or in education, down from 45 percent in 2016.

Gender disparities were also emphasized, with 41.4 percent of women aged 18-24 in Türkiye not participating in education or employment, compared to 21.4 percent of men in the same age group.

The report also drew attention to Türkiye’s significant underfunding of education compared to other OECD countries. On average, Türkiye spends $5,425 per student from primary to tertiary education, far below the OECD average of $14,209.

Despite this, Türkiye ranks as the OECD country with the highest share of private expenditures at the primary school level, with household contributions nearly four times the OECD average.

On average in the OECD, a teacher with the highest level of seniority is paid 61-65 percent more than a new teacher. In Türkiye, the average is 9 percent.

While the schooling rate for children aged 6-14 is nearly universal at 98.8 percent, Türkiye’s preschool participation for children aged 3-5 increased by 20 percent between 2014 and 2022, now reaching 48 percent.