While the world’s economies have been struggling to recover from the recession, Turkey’s emerging economy has continued to grow. The OECD’s data regarding labor force demographics in Turkey, the United States, and the European Union provides an overview of how economic changes have impacted the workforces of these countries differently. This article compares the makeup of Turkey’s labor force with the labor forces of the US and the EU to shed light on why there has been significant growth in the former and stagnation in the latter. The author also highlights opportunities for workforce development that could help secure long-term economic success for Turkey.