Excluding the three largest cities, the highest increase in employment was observed along the Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa line.

ANKARA – TEPAV stated that, excluding Istanbul, the highest increase in employment during 2011 was observed along the Mersin-Şanlıurfa line, according to the regional employment analysis for employment gains.

The fifth issue of the TEPAV Employment Monitoring Bulletin reports that the number of insured workers increased by 1 million during 2011. Istanbul had a share of 29.3 percent in the overall employment gain in 2011. The city, which hosts sectors leading employment gains including construction, retail and transportation, generated 293,000 new insured jobs in 2011. The number of insured workers in Istanbul therefore reached 3,279,000 and the share of the city in overall employment increased to 30 percent. The bulletin states that,

“The number of insured workers in Ankara increased by more than 63,000 and reached 937,000. The employment gain in Izmir was slightly better than that in Ankara. The number of insured workers in Izmir exceeded 723,000. Excluding the three largest cities, the highest increase in employment was observed in Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, which created 105,000 new jobs in all. Ninety-eight thousand new jobs were created in total in Bursa, Kocaeli and Tekirdağ, all industrial cities near Istanbul.”

Urfa comes to the fore

TEPAV’s research stresses the employment gain Şanlıurfa has achieved during the last four years. The city ranks eleventh in total employment. The bulletin says, “The number of insured workers in the city, which stood around 58,000 at the end of 2008 reached 65,000 by the end of 2009, 75,000 by the end of 2010, and 95,000 by the end of 2011.” The bulletin stresses that the 25 percent increase in the number of insured workers in the city in 2011 alone was remarkable.

Employment generators: The construction and retail sectors

According to the bulletin, the construction sector in broad definition led the increase in the number of insured workers in 2011. The sector, covering the construction of buildings, landscaping and other construction work, increased the number of workers from 1,530,000 in December 2010 to 1,596,000 in December 2011. The sector, therefore, created 328,000 new insured and paid jobs, representing a 32.8 percent share in the total employment gain of 1 million throughout 2011.

Employment in the veterinary activities sector drops steeply

TEPAV’s research also reports on the sectors that faced the sharpest drop in employment. According to this, the education and human health sectors ranked on top. The drop in employment in the veterinary activities sector was also remarkable, decreasing from 121,000 in December 2009 to 21,000 in December 2010, and to 14,893 in December 2011. “The steep fall in the employment of this sector requires further analysis,” the bulletin concludes.