University graduates had the highest participation rate in Türkiye’s labor force at 76.9 percent in the third quarter of 2025, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).
Shared by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the figures show that university alumni were followed by graduates of vocational and technical high schools with a participation rate of 67.1 percent, while high school graduates stood at 57 percent.
The participation rate declined to 45.8 percent for individuals with an education below high school level, falling further to 17.6 percent among the illiterate population.
YÖK President Erol Özvar said the data support the country’s employment-oriented higher education policies, highlighting that as education levels rise, both labor force participation and employment rates increase.
“Higher education serves as the most critical instrument not only for academic proficiency but also for enhancing an individual’s capacity to integrate into the economic system,” he said.
