Number of Public Employees Increases, Agricultural Workers Decreases

According to the TEPAV Employment Monitoring Bulletin, the highest increase in number of civil servants was recorded in Şanlıurfa with 33 percent.

ANKARA – TEPAV stated that as of April, the share of civil servants and artisans in insured employment increased while the share of farmers decreased. The rise in the number of public employees was driven by the eastern provinces.

The ninth issue of the TEPAV Employment Monitoring Bulletin states that as of April 2012, insured employment had increased year-on-year by 7.7 percent (1,230,000 new workers) to 17,150,000.

More Public Employees and Insured Artisans, Fewer Agricultural Workers

According to the study, the number of public employees (4/c) insured workers employed by the public sector (general budgetary institutions, municipalities, SOEs, etc.), except employees of public worker status (4/c), has reached 2.5 million, corresponding to 15 percent of total insured employment. The bulletin says:

“Employment of public personnel, the majority of whom are 'civil servants,' was limited in the context of 'fiscal discipline' concerns and decreased in the 2009-2010 period. However, the number of public employees started to increase as of the second half of 2011. The rise in the number of public employees in the health, education, and defense services sectors has been around 7 percent since October 2008.

From April 2011 to April 2012, the number of public employees (4/c) increased by 11.5 percent to 2,570,000 people, which represents a substantial growth over one year.”

Number of Public Employees in Van Increased by 28 Percent Year-On-Year

Concerning the distribution of public employees among provinces, Ankara has the biggest share with 14.5 percent. The number of public employees in the city increased by 22,000 over the last year (more than 6 percent). Istanbul, which has 18 percent share of the total population and 30 percent of the total GDP, has 11.5 percent of all public employees. As of April 2012, there were 296,000 public employees in the city. With 136,000 public employees, Izmir has a share of 5.3 percent in total public employment, followed by Bursa with 2.6 percent, and Konya with 2.5 percent.

The top five cities in terms of annual increase in the number of public employees are Şanlıurfa (33.4 percent), Van (27.8 percent), Mardin (24.9 percent), Gaziantep (17.7 percent), and Diyarbakır (17.4 percent).

The number of artisans, which represents almost 18 percent of total insured employment, also has increased in the aftermath of the crisis. The number of insured artisans is about to catch up with the pre-crisis level, but currently remains 1.5-points below. By April 2012, the number of insured artisans had increased year-on-year, by 37,000, according to seasonally-adjusted data. The number of insured artisans as of April 2012 was 1,912,000.

The number of insured agricultural workers (self-employment in agriculture), who make up 6 percent share in the total number of insured workers, fluctuates on the basis of sector and seasonal dynamics. In April 2012, the number of insured agricultural workers was 1,121,000. The figure had decreased by 6.2 percent (75,000 people) from April 2011.