ITO publishes its "employment" report...

 The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Strategic Research Center (ITOSAM) has published a report titled "Winning Employment: Problems Companies Face in Hiring Employees and Proposed Solutions."

According to the statement made by the Chamber, the report emphasizes that Turkey needs a more qualified and balanced labor market for an inclusive economic development journey.

The report states that structural problems in the technical education system and issues regarding image and status are at the forefront of the challenges in hiring blue-collar workers, while structural problems in the higher education system and a technological gap are prominent for white and gray-collar workers.

The employment report, which points out that Istanbul accounts for 20 percent of total employment in Turkey, notes that there is a significant dominance of blue-collar professions in "open positions" that have been advertised by employers and are waiting to be filled.

'THE PHENOMENON OF NOT LIKING THE JOB...'

Pointing out that the share of "open positions" in mid-skilled blue-collar professions, which primarily consist of artisans, operators, and assemblers, is higher than the share of the unemployed, the report includes the assessment: "It can be said that the phenomenon of not liking the job is primarily experienced in these professions in our country."

The employment report also includes the opinions of the companies surveyed.

The report states that a company operating in the logistics sector expressed that it faces significant problems both in finding blue-collar workers and in retaining existing blue-collar employees, and noted the following:

"According to the firm, university graduates tend to have an approach of 'I have completed a four-year university degree, how can I do this blue-collar job?' On the other hand, according to the firm, existing blue-collar workers can easily switch to another company en masse due to a relatively small wage difference of around 10 percent. A company operating in the textile sector states that they cannot find blue-collar workers. They express that this situation is particularly prevalent in Istanbul and that, for this reason, they have shifted production to Anatolia to a certain extent. A company operating in the manufacturing sector stated that young people do not show 'interest' in (blue-collar) jobs, and that besides the difficulty of finding qualified blue-collar workers, they are also experiencing serious problems in finding personnel to train."

'A MASTER WELDER CAN EARN MORE THAN A BANKER'

In the report, it is stated that another company operating in the manufacturing sector that participated in the survey expressed that it is 'very difficult to find qualified (blue-collar) personnel and skilled masters,' and that they have therefore begun to relax their criteria. The following statements were used:

"Moreover, they state that some of those who start the job leave after working for 'three to five days' because they find the work too heavy. Again, they state that they try to 'solve all their problems' and pay as well as possible to retain skilled workers. So much so that a 'master welder' earns a higher salary than a 10-year banker. A company operating in the services sector also states that they have trouble finding 'technical personnel' and that 'the first thing employees do after gaining qualifications is to run away.' The firm states that the need for skilled or trainee blue-collar workers is continuous. Another firm also states that they have difficulty finding skilled personnel in technical fields."

In the conclusion section of the report, it was stated: "In order to transform this lose-lose-lose spiral that has emerged in the employee-firm-society triangle into a win-win-win climate, a multi-dimensional and comprehensive employment strategy, policy, and plan must be developed, and concrete short, medium, and long-term steps to be taken must be determined, programmed, and implemented."

News Source: 12punto