Turkey is too underrated a country nowadays, especially when it comes to finding work. Many people from other countries just see it as a tourist destination with centuries-long history and colorful heritage. And while these are all true, the Middle Eastern country is also a great place to find work. Or to further pursue your career goals. After all, the country's job market seems to be quite promising. With various big sectors and career opportunities on offer, it seems that Turkey is on its way to becoming a major player in the world. Here's what you need to know about its job market.
Turkey's Current Unemployment Rate
As of 2021, Turkey's unemployment rate is 13.4%. Though it's relatively high, it's not necessarily that grim. All things considered, it'd be normal to expect this country's job market to be more in shambles than it already is. While it's not at its best, for now, it has remained relatively unstable. Turkey has been one of the most affected by the debt crisis, economic problems, and the like. With all of that plus the global pandemic, it's only natural for the country's unemployment rate to go higher. However, it hasn't really changed drastically since 2018. This means that the country is still holding it together as best as it can for now.
Top Sectors of Turkey
With all of that said, there are mainly three big sectors that Turkey practically relies on. They include manufacturing, construction, and the service industry. Since 2018, these are the three that have consistently reported growth over the years. In fact, during that year, manufacturers of vehicles and computers contributed to around a quarter of all exports coming from Turkey. The result? Bringing in a combined total of ₺355,620,160,000.00 (£32,000,000,000.00) revenue. As for the service industry, since tourism was strong in Turkey pre-Covid-19 pandemic, they, too, contributed a lot to the nation's economy as a whole!
Popular Jobs in Turkey
Don't think that just because manufacturing, construction, and the service industry are the biggest sectors in Turkey today that they all have the most popular jobs as well. Some do, others don't For now, the need for engineers is at an all-time high in Turkey. They help the manufacturing industry thrive and contribute more to the country's economy than ever before. Because of the current global pandemic,
healthcare workers are more than needed nowadays too. So much so that many hospitals have resorted to importing new employees from overseas. Incidentally, most of the highly in-demand jobs are located in
Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey.
Most Suitable Jobs for Foreigners in Turkey
How about work for foreign residents? What are the types of jobs that would best fit them? There's still teaching English, of course. English teaching has been a popular profession among foreign expats in Turkey over the years. Most especially since Turkey continues to build links, partnerships, and collaborations with other countries. However, those who want to be one will need to have the right certification for the position. At the very least, a Bachelor's degree in any related field. There are also jobs in tourism, ranging from hotel staff to tour guides. They've contributed more imports of foreign workers than any other sector in the country.
Turkey's Common Work Culture
What exactly is the common work culture in Turkey? Unlike in other countries, Turkey doesn't have a standard working week. Although working hours cannot go beyond 45 hours a week, the number of hours businesses work vary. The general timeframe starts at 8:30 am and ends at 5:30 pm. During summer, however, these hours tend to extend on both ends. When it comes to paid leaves, on the other hand, that's mostly granted to employees after they've worked one full year in the company. And they only get 14 available days for those who've worked one to five years. It's 26 days for those who've worked 15 years or more.
Average Salaries in Turkey
What about the salaries? How much do people earn in this country on average? Well, since 2019, the minimum wage here has been ₺2,075.00 per month. However, average salaries in Turkey, regardless of the minimum wage, range from a minimum of ₺1,980.00 to a maximum of ₺35,000.00 per month. Though most workers earn around ₺7,380.00 per month so this is the best figure to gauge if you're own salary is high or lower than the average. Keep in mind,
your taxes will affect these figures significantly too! So how much actually goes to your packet will vary as well!
Turkey's job market, as of this moment, leaves a lot to be desired. However, it's not exactly a lost cause either! Although no one can tell what the future holds, It's not impossible to see this country as a major business and financial hub soon!
Working in Turkey will allow you to get a lot of things here. Including, of course, your own
luxury home!
