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Turkey’s new strategy targets skilled jobs for youth

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces the launch of the Iskur Youth Programme during a presentation in Ankara Recep Tayyip Erdoğan/X
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces the launch of the Iskur Youth Programme during a presentation in Ankara

Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan has launched a new youth skills development programme to increase employment.

The “Iskur Youth Programme” will support one million students over the next four years, equipping them with new skills and financial assistance, Daily Sabah newspaper reported, citing the president’s speech.

Nearly 200,000 students will benefit from the programme this year alone, receiving training in research and development and information and technology sectors, Erdoğan said.

Students will be paid a stipend of TL1,083 ($30) daily, the president said.

In addition, Turkey introduced a three-year national employment strategy, which aims to strengthen gender equality, improve skill adaptation and lower informal employment.

Unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent in November 2024 from 8.7 percent in October 2024, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data showed.  

The country’s labour force rose by 925,000 to 35.82 million last year, while employment numbers increased by 986,000 to 32.75 million.

The national employment strategy targets to cut the unemployment rate to 7.5 percent by 2028 and achieve an employment rate of 52.5 percent.

The strategy aims to reduce the informal employment rate to 23.4 percent and youth unemployment rate to 16.6 percent by 2028.