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Journals / Ekoist: Journal of Econometrics and Statistics / 2026 / Sayı: 44

Determinants of Wages Among Young Employees in Türkiye: A Quantile Regression Approach

Türkiye’de Genç Çalışanlar Arasında Ücretlerin Belirleyicileri: Kantil Regresyon Yaklaşımı

Kadriye Hilal Topal(NİŞANTAŞI ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-5203-8017
Pages
195–216
Publication Date
2026-07-03
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

According to the results, age reduces wages for young employees up to a certain level and increases after a certain level.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The aim of this study is to determine the factors of wages in the context of the Mincer equation to examine the income level differences among young people aged 15-29 in Türkiye.
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Key Findings & Data:To this aim, the extended model created by adding the independent age variable as well as the basic variables of the Mincer equation that wage, education, and experience obtained from the 2023 Household Labour Force Survey statistics microdata set was estimated using Least Squares (LS) and Quantile regression.
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Conclusion & Impact:According to the results, age reduces wages for young employees up to a certain level and increases after a certain level.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:2023 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Genç nüfus · Mincer · Kantil regresyon

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the factors of wages in the context of the Mincer equation to examine the income level differences among young people aged 15-29 in Türkiye. To this aim, the extended model created by adding the independent age variable as well as the basic variables of the Mincer equation that wage, education, and experience obtained from the 2023 Household Labour Force Survey statistics microdata set was estimated using Least Squares (LS) and Quantile regression. The deviations of the LS model from the basic assumptions of regression were examined. It was seen that the model didn’t enjoy to basic assumptions of the regression. In addition, outliers were identified in the dataset. Therefore, an alternative regression model, the Quantile regression, was applied to the dataset, which allows for more robust estimators in cases where basic assumptions such as normality and homoscedasticity are not met and the presence of outliers. The findings from the Quantile regression show that age and education are highly effective in increasing wages at all three wage levels. In addition, the experience was found to have a U-shaped effect at all three wage levels, supporting the Mincer Wage Equation approach. According to the results, age reduces wages for young employees up to a certain level and increases after a certain level. Consequently, it has been revealed that age, education, and experience have a significant impact on wage level differences among the young workforce in Türkiye.

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye’deki 15-29 yaş arası gençlerin gelir düzeyi farklılıklarının incelenmesi için genç nüfusun ücretlerini belirleyen faktörleri Mincer ücret denklemi bağlamında analiz etmektir. Bu amaçla, Mincer denklemine 2023 yılı Hanehalkı işgücü araştırması işgücü istatistikleri mikro veri setinden elde edilen ücret, eğitim ve deneyim temel değişkenlerinin yanı sıra yaş bağımsız değişkeni eklenerek oluşturulan genişletilmiş model En Küçük Kareler (EKK) regresyonu ve Kantil regresyon yöntemleri uygulanarak tahmin edilmiştir. EKK regresyonundan elde edilen modelin regresyon temel varsayımlarından sapmaları incelenmiştir. Modelin regresyon temel varsayımlarını sağlamadığı görülmüştür. Ek olarak, aşırı değerlerin varlığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu nedenle veri setine; hem normallik, sabit varyans gibi bazı temel varsayımlarını sağlanmadığı durumlarda, hem de aşırı değerlerin varlığında daha sağlam tahmincilerin elde edilmesine olanak sağlayan, alternatif bir regresyon modeli olan Kantil regresyon yöntemi uygulanmıştır. Kantil regresyon tahmininden elde edilen bulgular, yaş ve eğitim değişkenlerinin her üç ücret düzeyinde ücretlerin artışı üzerinde oldukça etkili olduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca, deneyim değişkeninin Mincer ücret denklemi yaklaşımını destekler bir şekilde ücretlerin her üç seviyesinde U şeklinde bir etkisi olduğu bulgusu elde edilmiştir. Genç çalışanlarda yaşın ücretleri belirli bir düzeye kadar azalttığı, belirli bir düzeyden sonra ise arttırdığı bulgusu elde edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, Türkiye’de genç işgücünün ücret düzeyi farklılıkları üzerinde eğitimin ve deneyimin yanı sıra, yaşın da önemli bir etkisi olduğu ortaya konulmuştur.

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Cite This Article

Topal, K. H. (2026). Determinants of Wages Among Young Employees in Türkiye: A Quantile Regression Approach. Ekoist: Journal of Econometrics and Statistics, Sayı: 44, 195–216. https://doi.org/10.26650/ekoist.2026.44.1812702

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