WOMEN HAVE LONGER UNEMPLOYMENT SPELLS

 Seyfettin Gürsel, Burak Darbaz , Duygu Güner

Turkish labor market exhibits substantial gender differences in labor-market indicators such as labor force participation and unemployment. These differences are also reflected on durations of unemployment. Data shows that females have longer unemployment spells. One of the main reasons behind the gender gap in unemployment spells is the fact that the women in the labor force are better educated than men. Another important factor is relatively shorter labor market experience of women. Every 3 out of 10 unemployed women have never worked before. Lack of prior labor market experience hampers labor market integration and hence increases unemployment spells. To narrow the gender gap, policies should aim at improving women’s capabilities to access the labor market and to find jobs as well as implementing programs such as placement guaranteed training programs. Such efforts should be complemented by providing employers with incentives to hire more women.

doc. ResearchBrief047

pdf. ResearchBrief047