Turkey workers face 2.25 trillion TL wage loss due to inflation and taxes

According to the October 2026 Wage Loss Monitoring Report by DİSK-AR, over 17 million insured workers in Turkey experienced a cumulative loss of at least 2.254 trillion TL during the first nine months of 2026 due to inflation and tax deductions.

The report indicates that inflation alone caused a cumulative monetary loss exceeding 1.223 trillion TL, while tax-related erosion accounted for approximately 1.031 trillion TL. The findings suggest that the minimum wage lost 28% of its purchasing power, while higher wage groups saw erasures of up to 40%. Specifically, the net minimum wage's purchasing power declined to a level equivalent to 21,248 TL following a 24.32% official inflation rate through September 2026.