In a collaborative effort to assess the state of the labour markets, gather crucial insights, and provide guidance for ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts following the devastating February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented the findings of a significant research project on July 9, 2024 in Ankara.
This initiative, supported by the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), included a Household Survey conducted with the technical support of IOM, alongside two other research conducted by the ILO Türkiye Office, namely the Tracer Study and the Enterprise Survey.
The studies, complementing the official public data with a special focus on qualitative aspects of the labour market in the earthquake-affected region, aim to provide evidence-base for development of sustainable, inclusive, rights-based, and gender-sensitive recovery efforts.
The earthquakes impacted eleven provinces, home to 15.8 million people including migrants and refugees, causing severe physical, economic, social, and psychological damage. Recognizing the profound effects on labour markets in the earthquake-affected regions, the ILO Office and IOM Office in Türkiye joined forces for the Household Survey held from November 2023 to April 2024 to assess the current state and to provide evidence-based guidance and policy recommendations for driving improvement steps. The Survey assessed the living and working conditions of earthquake survivors in Adıyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya and revealed striking findings, such as a high displacement rate of 55.2 per cent in Hatay's city center. It also highlighted a significant increase in the inability of residents in temporary shelters, particularly in Adıyaman, to meet basic needs, which escalated tenfold. A pronounced digital divide in temporary settlements with very low rates of internet access declining down to 2.6 per cent in Adıyaman, high economic inactivity among women population (over 70 per cent across all provinces, peaking at 84.7 per cent in Malatya), higher job losses for women reaching up to half of the women respondents in Hatay and Adıyaman are some of the key findings from the survey. The survey also identifies a varied reliance on pension income (e.g. 39.3 per cent high/severe dependency in Hatay compared to 18.4 per cent in Adıyaman) which indicates potential poverty and need for additional social assistance and labour market activation for this group. Labour force participation in the 30-59 age group is higher compared to 15-29 age group. With regard to working conditions, overtime work is reported most prevalently in Hatay (38.4 per cent for women and 36.9 per cent for men), problems related to occupational safety and health are predominantly reported by men compared to women in all provinces (the highest for men in Kahramanmaraş at 19.6 per cent). Labour force participation is reported extremely low for the people with disabilities, Kahramanmaraş demonstrating the lowest rate as 1.1 per cent.
The Tracer Study was conducted by the ILO as a complementary study for the quantitative data released through the household survey in order to provide in-depth qualitative data on the labour market experiences and social relations of earthquake survivors who migrated to Ankara and Adana. The study, designed with a special emphasis on the psycho-social factors, ultimately aimed to lay out evidence to guide the policy interventions for decent integration of the displaced population into the labour market in the provinces they moved to and their gradual return to the provinces they left. The lack of trauma-informed work environment increased the anxieties of survivors in workplaces, bringing risks of occupational accidents, low productivity, and worsened wellbeing. Life and work practices in urban society which are different from traditional rural society make the survivors feel frustrated and hopeless in a new social and economic environment. Especially young women were found to have embraced urban practices and utilized them to break away from traditional gender roles of their previous rural settings, showing that the effects of the migration process after the earthquake have been experienced differently based on age and gender. Integration of earthquake survivors to local labour markets has been closely related to the strength of their social networks.
The Enterprise Survey evaluated business recovery processes in Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya following the earthquakes. The survey found that 16% of businesses had to relocate, 60% temporarily shut down operations, with an average closure period of 60 days. Businesses predominantly experienced customer losses (71.2%), followed by supplier losses (57%), product losses (55.9%), and market share losses (54.6%). 32% revenue decline in USD from 2022 to 2023. Various supports were provided to workers by the employers provided post-earthquake. Meal assistance (by 35.2 of employers), accommodation support (25.6%.), part-time work arrangements (23.5%) and reduced working hours (20%) were reported as the most common supports in this respect. However, supports like flexible working arrangements, personal development and stress management training, and workplace psychological counselling were less common, each provided by fewer than 10% of employers.
ILO Türkiye Director Yasser Hassan:"We still live with the devastating impact of the earthquakes of last year, which caused severe social, economic, and environmental damage in the region and had significant implications for people's livelihoods. Promoting decent work and social justice as key drivers of building resilience is urgently needed. The reliable, up-to-date , and comprehensive evidence to guide the recovery processes are crucial for the design of socio-economic recovery alongside physical rebuilding."
Gerard Karl Waite, IOM Türkiye Chief of Mission: "While significant progress has been made, much work remains in improving access to employment, which impacts access to food, shelter, and other essential needs. Moving forward, it is crucial that these findings guide effective policymaking aligned with the 12th Development Plan. This event serves as a call to action, urging contributions to innovative solutions and emphasizing the critical importance of translating these data into tangible steps for recovery."
Liam McLaughlin, Migration Counsellor at British Embassy: "The data and insights from these studies are crucial in understanding the impact of the earthquakes on employment and guiding our recovery efforts. The collaboration between ILO and IOM, with support from the Turkish government, is pivotal in this process."
Shane Niall O'Higgins, ILO Senior Research Specialist: "We prioritize vulnerable groups in our inclusive studies. This study provided us with an opportunity to analyse living and working conditions in the earthquake-affected regions. The findings provide essential insights for rebuilding efforts with a focus on social justice, highlighting the differential impacts on various communities."
Speakers also highlighted the significance of evidence-based policymaking derived from these studies. There was a clear focus on the impact of the earthquakes on women and vulnerable groups. Speakers called for translating research findings into actionable steps and encouraged innovative solutions. They stressed the importance of collaboration among local and international stakeholders, in support of government-led recovery efforts.
The reports will be finalised based on the contributions received from all stakeholders and will be made available in the coming days.
