Worker stuck in wheels

The industrial sector, under pressure from prolonged monetary tightening and high interest rates, continues to bleed. Workers have been affected by the slowdown in the industry, with a decline of 157,192 jobs in the last year.

According to TurkStat data for May, the number of paid employees increased by 1.2 percent annually to 15.9 million. During this period, the number of employees in the industrial sector decreased by 3.1 percent. The number of employees in the industrial sector, which employed 5.073 million people in the same period last year, fell to 4.916 million.

The decline in employment revealed that the manufacturing industry is facing serious challenges, and that the negative impacts are becoming increasingly persistent across sub-sectors. The number of employees in the manufacturing sector decreased by 154,000 compared to the same month last year. This situation once again highlights the cost of monetary policy on labor , highlighting the vulnerability of labor-intensive sectors in particular.

The contraction in textile and durable goods manufacturing, in particular, has brought about a decline in employment. The number of workers employed in durable goods manufacturing, where the country's largest industrial enterprises have decided to lay off workers, has fallen from 335,659 to 327,134 in the past year.

LOSS IN TEXTILES AND CLOTHING IS LARGE

The employment loss in textiles, one of the country's most established sectors and a long-standing production crisis stemming from cost increases, has reached significant proportions. Compared to May 2024, the number of textile workers decreased by 6.8 percent, while the number of apparel workers decreased by 11.2 percent. Total employment in these two subsectors of the industry decreased from 1.112 million to 1.008 million. Employment losses in apparel and textiles totaled 103,749 jobs in a single year.

In other words, 66 percent of the total employment loss of 157,192 people in the industry in the last year was caused by clothing and textiles.

Additionally, the loss of employment in the manufacturing of leather-related products has reached striking proportions. The number of paid employees in the sector, which employed 68,336 people in May 2024, fell to 60,989 as of May 2025. The annual employment loss reached 10.8 percent.