Young unemployment: Comparative analysis of Turkey and EU

Unemployment in current economies is one of the main problems of both developed and developing countries. Among the unemployment rates that have been in increasing trend since 2000, it is observed that the youth unemployment rate has increased more than twice the general unemployment rate. Turkey, one of the world's twenty largest economies, is among the countries that facing this problem. Similarly, youth unemployment is a major problem for Europe which is nearby geography and close trading partner of Turkey's. In these countries, it has importance to put forward the policy recommendations for the extent, reasons and solution of youth unemployment. The aim of this study is to present the extent of youth unemployment in Turkey and EU countries, and to shed light on policies that can be applied to solve this problem. In this respect, the data related to labor market and youth unemployment at Turkey and EU countries were examined comparatively. In the study, it was observed that the factors such as economic structure, labor market rigidity, education system, flexible working conditions and women's level of participation in employment are effective at significant level on the differences for youth unemployment between EU countries and Turkey.