Turkey extends ban on layoffs to end-June

ANKARA

Turkey has extended a ban on layoffs until the end of June, according to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on April 30.

The measure was introduced 13 months ago to limit the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on employment.
The country previously extended the layoffs ban for two months from March 17.

Turkey’s unemployment rate climbed 0.7 points to 13.4 percent in February.

Turkey launched a social assistance program in March 2020 to minimize the fallout of the virus on the labor market.

The support provided so far by Turkey’s Social Protection Shield program to cater to public needs during the pandemic has topped 60 billion Turkish Liras ($8.1 billion), said the chair of parliament’s Health, Family, Labor and Social Affairs Commission on April 30.

More than 30 billion Turkish liras ($4.05 billion) were paid to 3.7 million people under the short-time work allowance, according to Akdağ’s remarks on May Day holiday, which honors workers nationwide on May 1.

Nearly 10 billion liras ($1.4 billion) were paid by the Unemployment Insurance Fund to workers who were forced to take unpaid leave during the pandemic.