Unemployment danger grows in the textile sector

During the deliberations on the 2026 budget of the Ministry of Industry and Technology at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Planning and Budget Committee, CHP Denizli Deputy Şeref Arpacı drew attention to the employment loss in the textile sector. Arpacı emphasized that 10 thousand companies have closed and 360 thousand people have become unemployed in the last three years.

Arpacı, who is also known as a textile manufacturer in the Babadağ district of Denizli, stated that the sector is facing serious problems. "Industrialists, retirees, farmers, and minimum wage earners are all being crushed in the same pot. Industry is getting worse every year. Within three to five months, another 100 thousand people could become unemployed," he said.

Arpacı noted that opportunities were missed during the pandemic period and that public resources were not used effectively. He expressed that industrialists are losing markets due to high costs and exchange rate pressure, and are experiencing difficulties in financing and procuring intermediate goods.

According to the report by Sözcü, explaining the problems in the textile sector with examples, Arpacı stated that the number of companies operating in the textile, ready-to-wear, and leather sectors was approximately 71 thousand 959 in December 2022, and that this number has fallen to 62 thousand today. He stated that 10 thousand companies have closed within three years and employment has declined from 1 million 304 thousand to 944 thousand.

Arpacı said that the total employment loss in the industry is 560 thousand and that there has been a 6.5 percent loss in value in exports to the European Union over the last two years. Stating that Far Eastern competitors are increasing their exports in the European market, Arpacı emphasized that Turkey is losing market share. He noted that exports in the ready-to-wear and apparel sector, which were 17 billion 873 million TL in 2022, have declined to 12 billion 712 million TL in 2025.

News Source: 12punto