The deteriorating balance in employment has left industrialists in a difficult situation. While some sectors have lost about 10 percent of employment in the last 1 year, industrialists pointed out that the salaries of some foremen exceeded the salaries of managers due to the decreasing number of blue collar foremen.
While the economic administration has set serious targets for Turkey’s production and exports with both the Medium Term Program (MTP) and the 12th Development Plan, the deterioration in the balance of employment in the industrial sector has started to raise concerns about achieving the targets.
Representatives of the textile and ready-to-wear sectors point out that the one-year loss in employment has exceeded 150 thousand, and similar statements are coming from other sectors. Sector representatives warn that they have experienced a 10 percent loss of employment in the last 1 year and that this loss will increase in the coming years.
Drawing attention to the increase in the number of universities, industrialists say that they have difficulty in finding blue-collar personnel because there are too many university graduates. Underlining that the number of foremen has decreased rapidly, especially in labor-intensive sectors, industrialists say that they have difficulty in finding foremen at this point, so they pay more than the manager’s salary to keep the masters. The Law on Early Retirement Despite Failing to Meet the Age Requirement accelerated the employment loss as well.
“I earn more on TikTok”
Emre Tayci, General Manager of Tayas Food, stated that the company pays blue-collar employees over TRY 20 thousand with bonuses and gave the following information: “We have difficulty in finding blue-collar employees. We advertise. We offer bonuses, food and heating assistance. However, we still cannot find personnel. We interviewed over 1100 people in two weeks. 380 people were accepted, 200 people started work, and 80 people left after the first week. Among those who left, there are those who say ‘I earn better by sharing videos on Tik-Tok account’. There are foremen earning TRY 70-80 thousand, more than some managers. Our managers started to complain due to this situation. The point we have reached is not encouraging. The main reason is the increase in the number of graduates due to the high number of universities. If qualified migrants are not recruited, it will become even more difficult to find employees under these conditions.”
Workers prefer better-paying construction in the earthquake zone
Talha Ozger, President of the Association of Home and Kitchenware Industrialists and Exporters (EVSID), stated that they are experiencing a similar employment problem in the sector and that they are experiencing more serious problems, especially in the earthquake zone. Stating that the sector’s production is mainly in the earthquake zone, Ozger said, “Those working in construction in the region earn TRY 1500 per day, while molders and iron binding masters earn TRY 4 thousand per day. As such, no one wants to work in the industry. We tell the employees ‘have a specialty, have a profession’ but everyone is trying to save the day.” Pointing out that especially in Istanbul, the industry is in a difficult situation, “We have increased the rights of employees, but working hours have shortened. Everyone wants better conditions. Employees have lost their sense of belonging. We need to regain this,” he said.
“Unqualified graduates have destroyed qualified jobs”
Fatih Dursun, President of the Leather Garment Manufacturers Association of Turkey (TDKD), pointed out that new blue collar masters are not trained in labor-intensive sectors, and said, “Labor-intensive jobs are slowly leaving Turkey. It is difficult to meet the demand coming from now on. It takes 5 years to train a qualified employee. While we should be at full capacity, we are currently working at 50 percent capacity. Since Turkey does not have strong brands, sectors that focus on contract manufacturing are bleeding due to the rise in labor and energy costs. Jobs have decreased, costs have increased. Unqualified graduates destroyed qualified job fields.The number of people working in these fields has also fallen rapidly. There are nearly 10 thousand employees in Zeytinburnu. Employment decreased by 10 percent. Unfortunately, those who quit their jobs go to their hometown and do not come back.”
Employees go back to their hometowns
Pointing out that the peace between employers and employees has deteriorated, Gökhan Turhan, President of Armature Manufacturers Association, said that the system applied in monetary policy, inflation and the loss of competitiveness of industrialists are effective in this. “It has become difficult to live on the minimum wage. In dollar terms, we are now paying the highest salary in history, but employees are struggling to make ends meet. Our employees prefer to go to their hometowns because they can no longer make a living in big cities. We have approximately 100 thousand employees in our sector. We have lost between 5 and 10 percent employment in the last 1 year. There are many diploma holders. You cannot tell them to come and work for minimum wage. The master-apprentice relationship also needs to develop. Everything needs to be analyzed and constructed from scratch” Turhan said.
