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Regional Analysis of Skills-Mismatch in Turkish Labor Markets

Author

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  • Ömer Şahin

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

The difference between the skills and the skills needed in the labor market is called skill mismatch. The literature reveals this skills mismatch problem as an over-education and over-qualification problem in Turkish labor markets. For enterprises, the two hardest employees to find are unqualified workers and workers with vocational training, both bluecollar (VGM,2018). This finding also is supported by high higher-education unemployment (TURKSTAT, 2020). However, earlier studies do not make clear if different regions suffer from these problems uniformly. This study aims to reveal the differences between NUTS-2 regions in suffering from the over-education and over-qualification problem. It extensively uses the Sectoral and Regional Mapping of Productivity and Development in Turkey project, SEGE 2017 report to acquire the development levels of NUTS-2 regions and TURKSTAT’s employment statistics by education and NUTS-2 region. Two crucial findings of this paper are that only the illiterate labor force satisfies enterprises’ unqualified labor need and that while less developed regions suffer severely from the over-education and over-qualification problem, more developed regions only suffer from lack of workers with vocational training. This paper will first analyze the current situation in Turkish Labor Markets, followed by the presentation and analysis of data it uses. In the end, these results will be discussed, and policies to improve the situation will be suggested.

Suggested Citation

  • Ömer Şahin, 2021. "Regional Analysis of Skills-Mismatch in Turkish Labor Markets," Journal of Economic Policy Researches, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-27, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ist:iujepr:v:8:y:2021:i:1:p:1-27
    DOI: 10.26650/JEPR813711
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francesco Berlingieri, 2019. "Local labor market size and qualification mismatch," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(6), pages 1261-1286.
    2. Steiner, Viktor & Mohr, Robert, 1998. "Industrial change, stability of relative earnings, and substitution of unskilled labor in West-Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 98-22, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Zeynep Basak & Caner Ozdemir, 2023. "Underutilisation of Labour: Underemployment and Skills-Mismatch in Turkey," World Journal of Applied Economics, WERI-World Economic Research Institute, vol. 9(2), pages 125-148, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Skills mismatch; Turkish labor markets; Regional labor markets; Labor economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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