1 The Youth Unemployment in Turkey: Trends, Trajectories and Narratives 1 Hayriye Erbaş * Esra Dabağcı ** Abstract Unemployment rates are not defined as those out of work, but calculated through those seeking jobs actively. Thus the data is not capable of projecting the issue with all sides. When youth comes into the question among other vulnerable groups the numbers are further from representing the reality. In order to shed some lights on the population excluded by the statistics, more units of analysis are required. The category of young people who are “not in education, employment or training (NEET)” is a relatively new classification designed to address those with “no status” and who are also excluded from statistics. The recent official youth unemployment rate in Turkey (for those aged between 15-24) indicates a ratio of 17,9, although one third of youth population is neither at school nor working (2014). Turkey has the highest proportion of NEET (15-29 years old) among the other OECD countries, 35 percent compared to average of 16 percent according to OECD (2013). In this regard, this paper aims to, firstly, investigate the general tendencies of youth unemployment in Turkey, using quantitative data of Turkish Statistical Institute. We aim to depict the continuities and discontinuities in last 30 years which corresponds to transition to Post-Fordism and neo-liberal economic policies in Turkey. Secondly, we intend to have a deeper insight of youth unemployment through young people’s own narratives. The qualitative data was obtained by interviews in a radio program, named Gençlik ve Gelecek [Youth and Future] which is supervised by one of the co-authors broadcast on one of the state-owned radio station. The interviews were conducted with mostly university-graduated young people who were unemployed (actively seeking jobs), who had no status (NEET) and who have recently found jobs. During the interviews, the main matter of inquiry was on interviewees’ own experiences concerning entry to labor market. 1 Unpublished paper presented in BIGSSS International Conference, Bremen, Germany (September 24-25, 2015). * Ankara University, Dept. of Sociology, Prof. Dr. ** Ankara University, Dept. of Sociology, PhD Candidate