Industrialists complain about lack of intermediate staff

Gamze Bal - ISTANBUL

Industrialists say they cannot find machine operators and welders, contractors seek plasterers and painters, while tailors and carpenters cannot find apprentices.

With approximately 3 million people unemployed in Türkiye, the shortage of skilled and intermediate workers has become a threat to production, according to employers.

In many fields, which are not preferred by young people due to the salaries and working hours, companies are desperately looking for qualified personnel but cannot find them. This is the case in almost every sector, from manufacturing to construction and tourism, from tailoring to carpentry, and even in specialized departments of grocery stores such as butchers, delicatessens, and greengrocers. Sector representatives say they cannot “find people to work in the factory or in the fields.”

According to Erdal Bahçıvan, president of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO), the problem of not being able to find qualified personnel in the industry has begun to hinder Türkiye’s international competitive advantage due to the lack of capacity increases in production and the uncertainty of deadlines.

Faruk Güzeldere, vice president of the Turkish Retailers' Association (TPF), said that they are working with 20 percent less capacity because they cannot find qualified personnel.

"In Istanbul, the share of the manufacturing sector in the sectors with labor supply problems is 43.2 percent. This shows that there is a need for skilled labor in all sectors of industry," Bahçıvan said.

According to Bahçıvan, the "plant and machine operators and assemblers" group is the leading occupational group that cannot find qualified workers across the country. This occupational group is the area with the highest difficulty in finding qualified personnel with 31.3 percent in the manufacturing industry.

"We can say that the problem of not being able to find qualified personnel in industry is an obstacle to increasing production capacity, uncertainty of deadlines, and the international competitive advantage and level of development of our country."

Turan Aydoğdu, president of the Istanbul Chamber of Tailors, is also concerned about the continuity of the tailoring profession.

“The youngest tailor is 50 years old,” he said.

“There are some who are 30-40 years old, but they are from the garment industry, they only do alterations. There are no young people who grow up from the core and hold a needle. After 10 years, there will be no tailors to sew buttons. We are the last generation of tailors.”

Mustafa Gültepe, president of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM), pointed out that the large number of universities creates difficulties in the supply of mid-level staff.

“About 7 million students are studying in more than 200 universities,” he said. “These children are eager to graduate, while the sectors are looking for young people.”

Gültepe urged the reorganization of the education system in the country.

“I think we should increase the number of vocational high schools and technical schools, reduce university quotas, increase grades and success rankings,” he said.

“Together, we should develop practices that direct young people to vocational schools. In this context, everyone should make radical decisions.”