Turks optimistic about finding work

ISTANBUL

The constructor sector had the most optimistic employment outlook for the second quarter of 2012 at 39 percent. AA photo

Turkish job seekers are relatively upbeat about finding work, according to the 2012 second-quarter employment expectations survey released by the Manpower Group.

The survey results show that compared to the last quarter, there has been a four point (2 percent) increase in net employment expectations, bringing the figure to 26 percent. Survey takers are positive about finding work in what they view as an active job market in the upcoming April-June 2012 period. However, when compared to the same three-month period in 2011, there is an 8 point drop.

The general manager of Manpower Turkey, Ebru Coş, said that when compared to the first-quarter 2012 expectations survey, employers were still going strong and there had even been a slight pick-up in employment. Nonetheless, she attributes the 8 point drop from last year to various macro details that have affected employers.

“The chaos created by the deterioration in the economies of the European Union and the U.S., as well as the Arab Spring protests could [explain] the drop in employment expectations,” said Coş.

The survey, which encompasses five of Turkey’s regions, shows the Central Anatolian region (at 29 percent) and the Aegean region (at 28 percent) as the regions with the most positive employment expectations. The sector with the most positive employment outlook is the construction sector at 39 percent, followed by the financial services, public and social services, agriculture and restaurant and hotels sectors.

“Compared to the first-quarter 2012 expectations survey, the largest increase, at 31 points, was the restaurant and hotel sector,” said Coş. As summer approaches there is a constant need for new seasonal staff, she said. Of the 11 sectors covered in the survey, five have witnessed an increase in employment, according to Coş.

In the April-June 2012 period, the countries that are the most positive about employment opportunities, according to the Manpower survey, are India, Brazil, Taiwan, Peru and Turkey. The countries with the bleakest employment outlooks are Greece, Spain and the Czech Republic. On a regional basis, the countries with the most positive employment outlook are Turkey, Israel, Romania and Norway, while Greece and Spain lagging behind the others.

For the survey, Manpower consulted with 1,000 firms in Turkey.