Minimum wage has eroded: Will the interim raise citizens expect come? Erdoğan had given a signal

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) has announced the inflation data for the March 2025 period. According to TUIK, the consumer price index (CPI) increased by 2.46 percent in March compared to the previous month, while annual inflation stood at 38.10 percent.

With the announced data, while the salaries of millions of employees and retirees have lost significant value against inflation, expectations and debates regarding whether there will be a mid-year raise for the minimum wage in July have reignited.

PURCHASING POWER OF THE MINIMUM WAGE HAS FALLEN

The minimum wage, which was set at a net 22,104 liras at the beginning of 2025, has eroded by approximately 2,215 liras according to the March inflation data. As of the end of March, the purchasing power of the minimum wage has declined to 19,889 liras.

SGK expert İsmail Sevinç, in a television program he attended, argued that a mid-year raise has become inevitable, stating, "When July arrives, there will be a serious erosion, but a policy to compensate for this is not on the horizon. The increase in food prices is also very pronounced."

ERDOĞAN HAD LEFT THE DOOR OPEN

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had also signaled in a statement he made in recent months that a mid-year raise could be implemented in July, saying, "If there is a very serious deviation in the inflation rate, of course, we will not remain indifferent to this and will make the necessary assessments."

The 2025 minimum wage, which was determined as of the new year, took the following shape for employees and employers:

Net minimum wage: 22,104 liras and 67 kuruş

Gross minimum wage: 26,005 liras and 50 kuruş

Employer cost (including SGK premium and unemployment insurance): 30,556 liras and 46 kuruş

Government support: Increased from 700 liras to 1,000 liras

However, high inflation rates have quickly erased the effect of the raise, revealing a picture where minimum wage earners are struggling to cover their basic expenses.

Employees, who are experiencing financial difficulties due to the high increases in food and rent, especially in the first quarter of the year, have once again turned their eyes to the government and a potential mid-year raise that could be implemented in July.