Youth unemployment reaches alarming level in Turkey
The unemployment rate among young people in Turkey is estimated to have reached about 40%, experts say, warning of social unrest and political repercussions.
ANKARA — Twenty-five-year-old Fatih, a graduate of economics from Istanbul’s Marmara University, remains jobless despite his degree from the respected college and several internships at corporate businesses during his studies. Like hundreds of thousands of other university graduates in Turkey, he is grappling with an uncertain future in a country mired in economic turmoil, which the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened.
Fatih says long working hours and low salaries have led him to quit the jobs he landed after graduation, and his search for a new one has proved equally disappointing. “I’m looking for a job, but reluctantly. [Employers] are offering terms incompatible with human dignity,” he told Al-Monitor. “I’m currently designing websites for friends to make a living. If an opportunity emerges, I’d like to build my future in Europe or the United States,” he said.
