[REVISION HISTORY]

Turkish labor market trends and shortages

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-22 06:42 UTC → 2026-08-24 19:01 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Turkey continues to face a significant shortage of skilled workers and apprentices across the tourism, industrial, and construction sectors, even as employers offer high wages. In the Artvin Şavşat Karagöl region, tourism operators have reported being unable to find experienced chefs despite offering monthly salaries of 100,000 TL. Business owners suggest the issue is not unemployment, but rather a problem of job selection, as workers become increasingly selective regarding work conditions. The industrial and craft sectors face similar challenges. In the 4. Levent Otosanayi Sitesi, workshops are struggling to recruit apprentices, with some employers offering monthly salaries of 40,000 TL or weekly payments of 10,000 TL without receiving applicants. ~~Because~~ Industry officials have expressed concern that this lack of new apprentices will prevent the ~~cost~~ next generation of ~~hiring experienced~~ masters ~~can exceed 100,000 TL, many business owners are attempting to train young people from scratch. However, despite offering apprenticeships with salaries between 30,000~~ and ~~35,000 TL—including benefits such as meals and transportation—attracting candidates remains difficult.~~ journeymen from emerging, potentially leading to the decline of these trades. This shortage has extended severely into the construction sector, driven by rapid urban transformation and reconstruction in earthquake-affected regions. Specialized trades such as plasterers, tilers, and formwork masters are reportedly earning up to 177,000 TL per ~~month. Despite these record wages, contractors struggle to find qualified workers,~~ month, with daily wages reaching between 6,000 and ~~the~~ 7,000 TL when including overtime. In Muğla, this has created a significant imbalance where master tradespeople earn far more than entry-level engineers. The average age of skilled construction workers has risen to approximately 50. This generational gap, caused by young people avoiding physically demanding labor in favor of office-based or service industry roles, is leading to project ~~delays~~ delays, rising costs, and continued wage inflation.

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