Discouraged Labor Force, Unemployment and Pandemic: An Econometric Perspective on the Turkish Labor Market for the 2018-2021 Period on the Gender Axis

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Akarsu Y., Topbaş F.

Kastamonu Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi, cilt.28, sa.1, ss.414-428, 2026 (TRDizin)

Özet

The discouraged labor force phenomenon, which describes dividuals who become discouraged during the job search process and then withdraw from active job search constitutes a significant obstacle to the inclusion of potential labor in production processes. This study uses microdata from the Household Labor Force Survey (HLFS) for the relevant years and employs a binomial logistic regression analysis to identify the gender-based determinants of the discouraged labor force. In particular, a negative relationship was found between education level and being part of the discouraged labor force. As the level of education increases, the possibility of being part of the discouraged labor force decreases, while past work experience also decreases this possibility. Prolonged unemployment and increasing age are factors that increase the likelihood of being part of the discouraged labor force. With the pandemic it has been observed that being married significantly increases the probability of being part of the discouraged labor force, especially for women. The study examines the 2018-2021 period in light of the fact that the problem of the discouraged labor force increases especially during periods of economic contraction and then turns into a chronic problem. In the case of women, the increase in domestic care responsibilities due to the pandemic has become a triggering factor for withdrawal from the labor force. This study is one of the comprehensive studies that empirically analyzes the phenomenon of the discouraged labor force along with gender discrimination in the pre- and post-pandemic period in Turkey.