TEPAV Will Monitor Employment The first issue of the TEPAV Employment Monitoring Bulletin was published. The total number of insured workers increased by 9.5 percent to 950,000 between August 2010 and 2011.

ANKARA – Istanbul took the largest share in the employment gain. Between August 2010 and August 2011, the total number of insured paid workers increased by 9.5 percent to 950,000. The share of Istanbul in this increase was 30 percent. Izmir and Ankara followed, with 7 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively.

The first issue of the TEPAV Employment Monitoring Bulletin was published. According to the bulletin, the fall in employment seen during 2008 and 2009, when the economy grew by less than one percent and contracted by almost 5 percent, respectively, was counteracted during 2010 and the first half of 2011 as the economy returned to its growth path.

The number of insured workers, which decreased  by 2.6 percent in August 2009, increased by 7.5 percent in August 2010 and by 8.7 percent in August 2011, both compared to the same period in the previous year. As a result, the number of insured workers reached 16.5 million, with an increase of 1,995,000 (13.8 percent) compared to August 2008.

Istanbul ranks first

According to the study, the three provinces with the highest employment were Istanbul with 3.2 million, Ankara with 913,000, and Izmir with 710,000. The provinces with the lowest employment were Bayburt, Ardahan, Kilis, Tunceli and Hakkari.

Istanbul, which ranks first concerning the level of employment, also had the largest share in employment gain. During the August 2010-August 2011 period, the share of the city in the total employment gain of 950,000 (corresponding to the 9.5 percent increase) was 30 percent. Istanbul was followed by Izmir with 7 percent and Ankara with 6.4 percent. The share of Bursa in new employment was 5 percent.

The highest proportional increase in employment was observed in Mersin and Gaziantep, each with a rate of around 16 percent. The number of insured workers decreased in Ardahan, Kars, Siirt and Muş in nominal terms.

Employment in the education sector diminishes

In August 2011, the business and management consultancy activities sector faced the sharpest decline in employment, by 17,000. This sector was followed by those of education and human health, which experienced losses of employment of 12,000 and 10,000, respectively.

The number of unemployment insurance beneficiaries dropped

Thanks to the improved employment opportunities, the number of people who received unemployment insurance benefits from the Turkish Employment Agency decreased. The number of beneficiaries decreased by 1,153 people to 22,166 in August 2011.

The TEPAV Employment Monitoring Bulletin

The TEPAV Employment Monitoring Bulletin aims to compile the data released by the Social Security Institution (SSI) in order to reflect the big picture for registered employment and identify the short and medium-term employment trends. The Bulletin will be published regularly following the release of monthly SSI data.

The Bulletin will include data on the “number of workers with insurance, sectors with increasing or decreasing employment figures, sectors of manufacturing with increased number of workers, provinces with increased and decreased numbers of workers, sectors with an increasing or decreasing number of work places, provinces with increasing or decreasing numbers of work places, sectors with increasing or decreasing numbers of female employees, and provinces where individuals receiving unemployment benefits have increased or decreased.” The Bulletin will present a diverse set of tables in line with the changes in the labor market trends.