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1. Youth employment measures

2. Flexicurity measures focusing on young people

3. Reconciliation of private and working life for young people

4. Funding of existing schemes/initiatives

5. Quality assurance

Youth employment measures

The strategic aims determined under the Strategic Plan of the Directorate General of Turkish Employment Agency which covers the period 2013 to 2017.

• To diversify employment services in line with needs of the labour market and to have an active role in recruitment.
• To implement, improve, generalize and increase effectiveness of active labour programs in order to enhance employability of the labour force.
• To effectively employ passive programs aimed at reduction of socio-economic effects of unemployment.
• To develop a strong institutional structure which dominates developments and changes in the labour market.

Basic purpose and target of the Tenth Development Plan relating to Employment and Working Life is to develop a labour market in which safe flexibility approach is adopted and occupational health and safety requirements are improved, quality of the labour force is enhanced and effectively use, job opportunities are provided to all segments of the community. In order achieve such target it is stated in the Plan that it will be continued to develop qualified employment opportunities for all segments of the community, in particular women and young people, by taking into account regional, local and sectoral labour dynamics.

In parallel to the Tenth Development Plan following policy measures have been developed in the Mid-Term Plan:

• Individuals will be instilled with basic and vocational skills suitable to demands of the labour market; policies aimed at reduction of youth unemployment, facilitation of integration of young people in the labour market and ensuring appropriateness for working and family life will be implemented and the active labour policies will be implemented based on the effect analyses made on regional and sectoral basis.

• Youth employment and entrepreneurship will be supported under the policy to accelerate integration of young people in the labour market and to enhance their skills. Loan support, monetary support in blank and income tax exemption for young people finding a job for the first time, establishing a new business, wishing to run their own business and young farmers will be provided.

   

Under the KOSGEB Entrepreneurship Support Program young entrepreneurs are provided with grants and interest-free loans for their initial attempts. KOSGEB has developed the Entrepreneurship Support Program in order to support entrepreneurship, to generalize entrepreneurship and to enable establishment of successful businesses. Under the program nonrecourse loan equal to 50000 TL and loan equal to 100000 TL, 150000 TL of support loan in total, are provided to entrepreneurs.

As of December 31, 2023, the employer's share of social security premiums, up to the maximum base salary for premiums (ranging from 2,749.97 to 20,624.79 TL for the period of July to December 2023), is covered by the Unemployment Insurance Fund for private sector employers employing individuals who have been unemployed until that date. 

Benefit Conditions: 

• The individual must have been unemployed for the last 6 months.
• The individual must be employed, adding to the average number of insured employees in the 6 months preceding the employment start date.
• The employer must be in the private sector. 

Benefit duration: 

• Employers hiring women aged 18 and above: 24 to 54 months
• Employers hiring men aged 18-29: 12 to 54 months
• Employers hiring men aged 29 and above: 6 to 30 months 

Employers, employing individuals who obtained a vocational qualification certificate after March 1, 2011, completed vocational and technical training, or completed workforce development courses while employed are supported for a period of 12 months. In order to encourage registration with ISKUR, a provision has been introduced to extend the support period by 6 months if the individual is registered with ISKUR. 

In 2022, trainings were held and certificates and documents were issued to 15,724 individuals, as part of the "Agricultural Population is Getting Younger" and "I am the Livestock Management Staff" projects by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism applies the GENÇDES program which is aimed to enhance participation to cultural and artistic events and to allow realization of projects in various fields of arts.

Within (2019-2023) the Strategic Plan of Turkish Employment Agency transformation of youth labour force in accordance with the novel qualifications and employment models required by technological and industrial changes has been set down as a priority. In the same document, equipping young people with the necessary skills and competences required by labour market has been laid down as a policy measure.

In the same document, developing of incentives aimed at implementation of active labour force programmes designed for young people is identified as a policy measure.

Flexicurity measures focusing on young people

The flexicurity concept was introduced in the development plans with the phrase “both flexible and secure labour market” since the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan (1996-2000). The Eighth Five-Year Development Plan covering 2001-2005 specifies that it is necessary to ensure secure flexibility understanding needed by the labour market; the Ninth Development Plan (2007-2013) specifies that it is necessary to instil the labour market with more flexibility and security by assessing flexibility together with security; and the Tenth Development Plan covering 2014-2018 specifies that it is necessary to have progress by assessing secure flexible working, seniority indemnity, sub-employers, social dialogue, active and passive labour policies together with social parties in order to enhance effectiveness of the labour market.

In the Tenth Five-Year Development Plan, one of the basic aims is to develop a labour market in which the flexicurity approach is adopted under the title Employment and Working Life.

In the Tenth Development Plan (2014 - 2018) Labour Market Activation Program Action Plan one of the aims is to generalize Flexible working forms.  According to that aim following policies were adopted:

• Resolution of the seniority indemnity problem in dialogue with social parties by protecting acquired rights
• Re-arrangement of the sub-employer implementation in dialogue with social parties
• Bending the conditions for use of the unemployment insurance and extension of its term
• Limitation of over work exceeding the time period specified in the law
• Generalization of flexible working means by protecting rights of employees.

Reconciliation of private and working life for young people

The important factors that prevent young people from abandoning the labour market subsequent to marriage and having children are certain legal regulations ensuring a balance between private and working life (parent leave and other care leaves), institutional services (kindergartens, day nurseries, elder, disabled, patient care services) and working conditions of the labour market.

In Turkey workplaces of both public and private sector are equipped with kindergartens although their number is not enough. In addition, Turkey does not have a comprehensive service network in terms of transportation.

Regarding particularly maternity leave in Turkey according to amendments made on the Law on Civil Servants No 657 for working young women:

“Civil servants will be provided with sixteen weeks of maternity leave, eight weeks before the expected date of birth and eight weeks after the birth.

Female civil servants will be provided with breast-feeding leave for three hours per day for the first six months and one and a half hour per week per day within the second six months as of the end of the maternity leave after the birth. Preferences of civil servants shall prevail in terms of the number and hours of the breast-feeding leave.

After the maternity leave female civil servants may work halftime for two months on first childbirth, for four months on second childbirth and for six months on third childbirth without additional breast-feeding leave provided that the child is alive. For multiple births one month shall be added to such time period. If the child is disable when he/she is born or if any disability is identified within twelve months after the birth then such time periods shall be twelve months. Working hours of civil servants shall be determined by the relevant institution.”

In recent years, the number of young women receiving higher education has increased. Consequently, the number of young women employed in professional fields has also risen in Türkiye. According to the data of 2022, the participation rate of women to labor force is 35.1% in Türkiye. 

Funding of existing schemes/initiatives

Although Turkey has not a budget exclusively allocated to youth employment Turkish Employment Agency is engaged in activities relating to youth employment through the allocation from the general budget and its other incomes for active employment measures. In addition, youth employment and entrepreneurship practices are supported by allocations from the general budget by KOSGEB, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

For supporting youth employment and entrepreneurship activities, the 2010-2011 Youth Employment Support Operation- I - II was realized under the EU Pre-Accession Assistances (IPA).

Quality assurance

Although there is not any separate mechanism or system for monitoring employment measures and projects applied for young people quality is ensured by means of strategic plans, activity reports and annual programs of relevant establishments.