[53500] The 'Lost Generation' crisis in Turkey: Workers over 40 pushed to the margins of the labor market

The 'Lost Generation' crisis in Turkey: Workers over 40 pushed to the margins of the labor market

The labor market in Turkey is experiencing a quiet and alarming crisis known in the local media as the "Araf generation" (the transition generation). Workers over 40 find themselves trapped in an impossible reality: they are too old to be hired for many positions due to companies' preference for younger ages, yet they are far from retirement age, which leaves them without a stable source of income.

According to a report by Haber Gündem, this is a "silent crisis" in which professional experience has become a "penalty." Many companies disqualify the resumes of experienced workers outright, sometimes due to claims that they are "overqualified" or due to wage cost considerations. As a result, thousands of former white-collar workers are forced to turn to casual and unstable jobs, such as delivery, real estate brokerage, or self-employment without social benefits.

At the same time, TGRT HABER notes that for this generation, the reality is that they "cannot retire and cannot find a job" (according to TGRT HABER). The data is particularly worrying, as about 80% of the job supply in the market is not suited for this age group, which deepens the sense of professional exclusion among an entire generation of experienced professionals.