The citizen is unemployed and unpaid.
While names close to the government made it onto the agenda with multiple seats and multiple salaries, İŞKUR data revealed the status of the citizen. İŞKUR unemployment benefits data revealed that only half of the workers received unemployment benefits.
The extent of unemployment in Turkey was also reflected in the 2022 annual report of the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR). The number of applicants for unemployment benefits, which was 609,530 in 2012 and 840,793 in 2018, jumped to 1,707,000 at the end of 2022.
SUBSIDY IN HALF
According to the report, a total of 1,707,850 citizens applied for unemployment benefits in 2022. When evaluating the applications, İŞKUR granted unemployment benefits to 812,506 people. In other words, only 47 percent of those who wanted unemployment benefits were able to collect. It has been reported that the unemployment benefit paid in 2022 is TL 12,544,523,000.
The number of applications for unemployment benefits per year is as follows:
2005: 208 thousand 421
2008: 383 thousand 77
2012: 609 thousand 530
2014: 901 thousand 876
2016: 1 million 520 thousand
2018: 1 million 754 thousand
2020: 1 million 510 thousand
2022: 1 million 707 thousand
EXCEEDED 17 MILLION PEOPLE
CHP MP Burhanettin Bulut drew attention to the fact that the size of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, which was established in March 2002 with the aim of “providing economic security to employees in case of unemployment”, exceeded the 124 billion TL by the end of 2022.
Stating that a total of 17,173,166 people have applied for the fund since the day it was founded, Bulut said: “However, only 9,673,929 people were able to receive allocations.” Stating that almost half of the claimants were unable to receive unemployment benefits, Bulut said:
GENERAL TO THE EMPLOYER, SENSITIVE TO THE WORKER
– Because such conditions were introduced to qualify for unemployment benefits that the fund almost assumed the objective of not giving unemployment benefits. Can you be unemployed without being able to benefit from unemployment benefit? The requirement to take advantage of unemployment insurance must be facilitated in favor of workers. On the other hand, the Unemployment Insurance Fund was constantly looted by the government, such as looting Hasan’s pastry shop.
– Like the earthquake tax, it was used for all jobs, from the transfer of resources to the Southeast Anatolia Project to labor incentives and supports, from the Covid epidemic to the unpaid wages of workers in Soma, from the roads up incentives. That money is the sweat of the worker and should be for the workers. A generous fund for the employer and stingy for the employee is unacceptable.