Turkey leads OECD with 78.6% cumulative real wage growth

The OECD "Employment Outlook 2026" report shows that Turkey’s real wages rose by 7.1% in the first quarter of 2026, the second‑largest increase among member economies, while the OECD average for the same period was 2.2%.

Over the five‑year span from Q1 2021 to Q1 2026, Turkey recorded a cumulative real‑wage gain of 78.6%, far outpacing the OECD average of 4.9% and amounting to roughly sixteen times the bloc’s mean growth. This makes Turkey the top performer for cumulative real‑wage growth among OECD members.

The report also notes that, despite these gains, labour markets across the OECD remain broadly resilient but show early signs of slowdown. Factors such as declining labour‑force participation, slower productivity growth and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties are cited as limiting further wage‑increase momentum.