In August, the number of paid employees in the “construction” industry in Turkiye reached an all-time high with 1.7 million.
According to the information compiled by the AA correspondent from the Turkish Statistical Institute data, the number of paid employees in the industry, construction and trade-service sectors in the country increased to 15 million 289 thousand 258 people in August.
When we look at the sub-distribution of the employment in question, the increase in the number of employees in the “construction” sector attracted attention. Employment in the sector, which rose to the limit of 1 million 597 thousand last year and decreased to 1 million 497 thousand 590 before the earthquakes on February 6, has increased with a fluctuating trend since March. Sector employment, which reached 1 million 611 thousand 53 in June and 1 million 696 thousand 652 in July, reached an all-time high of 1 million 740 thousand 387 in August.
Thus, employment in the sector increased by 242 thousand 797 people after the earthquakes that affected 11 provinces.
Tahir Tellioglu, President of the Construction Contractors Confederation (IMKON), said that the recent concentration of young people in the service sector has negatively affected many professions that require art and craftsmanship.
Stating that the demand for personnel in the construction sector increased after the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaras, Tellioglu stated that this situation increased the daily wages of the masters from ₺500 to ₺1500.
Tellioglu emphasized that the demand for labor in the construction industry will continue and said, “We demand that young people be directed to vocational schools. There is a disconnection in areas that require physical strength. This situation may create serious problems in the future. We have approximately 13 million students in universities. We find this positive, but we also need to consider the future of sectors such as agriculture, construction and industry, which are the guarantee of our future.”
Pointing out the importance of qualified workforce in the construction industry, Tellioglu said that training in this field should be provided in vocational schools.
Tellioglu demanded that qualified masters and personnel be prevented from going abroad for a certain period of time and said, “The density of construction in the earthquake zone has caused an increase in employment. The construction sector is having difficulty in finding qualified personnel. This causes some projects to be delayed.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz