23.09.2024 Ankara

“Business World Consultation Meeting” was hosted by the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu with the participation of Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan at TOBB Twin Towers Conference Hall.

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu demanded a reorganization of the income tax steps and rates and the wage ceiling based on premium in order to increase the net wages of employees.

In his speech here, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they signed 2 protocols that will enable young people and women to participate in the labor force by providing them with qualifications and will enable them to reach the workforce with sufficient vocational skills in the fields that businesses will need.

Stating that they strive to qualify the workforce, Hisarcıklıoğlu explained that TOBB MEYBEM Vocational Qualification Certification Center, authorized by the Vocational Qualifications Authority (MYK), continues its examination and certification services in 81 provinces.

M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they have given vocational qualification certificates to more than 120,000 employees through exams organized in 77 professions, especially in dangerous and very dangerous professions.

- “Labor demands will be collected in chambers and exchanges”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the VQA document incentive, which makes a significant contribution to the certification of professions, should be reintroduced and pointed out that the capacity of active labor force programs should be increased, their conditions should be eased and their duration should be extended.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that with the Qualified Workforce Training Program (NİYEP) protocol signed at the meeting, the workforce demands required by the enterprises within the scope of active workforce programs will be collected in the chambers and commodity exchanges, and training programs will be prepared in accordance with the needs, “Then the candidates who want to benefit from the program will be brought together and theoretical training will be given, and then their employment will be ensured by subjecting them to practical training in enterprises within the scope of on-the-job training programs.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council, which was established in 2007 to increase the number of women entrepreneurs in Türkiye, has carried out important work, and said that the council launched the “Women's Hand in Industry Project” in 2021, that the project spread to 25 provinces in a short time and that more than 21,000 women were brought into the labor market with the support of İŞKUR.

Stating that the employment market in Türkiye is rigid, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that flexible legislation is needed according to International Labor Organization (ILO) and European Union (EU) standards.

- Income tax brackets should be rearranged to increase the wages of employees

Hisarcıklıoğlu drew attention to the narrowing of income tax brackets and said:

“It is neither fair nor logical for a middle-income worker to enter the 40 percent tax bracket, which is the highest income tax, in the middle of the year. A similar situation is happening with the ceiling wage based on SSI premium. While the ceiling wage was applied as 5 times the minimum wage in the past, today it is applied as 7.5 times. In order to increase the net wages of our employees, we demand that the income tax steps and rates and the wage ceiling based on premium be reorganized. We also see employment incentives as very important in order to protect existing employment and open new business areas.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the 5-point premium incentive, which has been applied since the past, provides direct support to employment and is simple to implement.

- “We should provide additional incentives in labor-intensive sectors”

Emphasizing that recently, especially labor-intensive sectors have lost their competitiveness in exports due to the increases in raw materials and energy and other costs, Hisarcıklıoğlu said:

“We should provide additional incentives to prevent the loss of labor in labor-intensive sectors. In order to protect the employment of our companies whose production and sales have decreased due to the decrease in their orders, we expect the short-time working allowance to be put into effect, just as it was during the pandemic period, without being subjected to much procedure. Unfortunately, the problems of our enterprises in the earthquake zone continue. The cancellation of tax and insurance premium debts, just like in the 1999 earthquake, will also enable our companies damaged by the earthquake to get back on their feet.”

At the meeting, “Qualified Workforce Training Program (NİYEP)” and “Women's Employment Cooperation” protocols were signed between Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) and TOBB.

- Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan

In his speech, Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan said, “With our Candidate Pool System that we will launch today, our employers will now be able to reach job seekers registered with İŞKUR, send them messages through the system and invite them. Thus, we will enable our employers to meet their staff needs as soon as possible.”

In his speech after the signing of the protocols, Minister of Labor and Social Security Işıkhan stated that they have finalized a study they started upon requests from employers and said, “With our Candidate Pool System that we will launch today, our employers will now be able to reach job seekers registered with İŞKUR, send them messages and invite them through the system. Thus, we will enable our employers to meet their staff needs as soon as possible.”

Stating that from this date onwards, they aim to launch disability grant calls with a different theme, Işıkhan said that their main goal this year is to increase the labor force participation and employment of individuals with autism.

- “Employers will train the qualified personnel they are looking for themselves”

Pointing out that the signed protocols are the product of such an effort, Işıkhan continued:

“With the protocol we signed today, we are taking an important step in training individuals with the competencies demanded by our employers with the strong cooperation of İŞKUR and TOBB. With NİYEP, we will enable our employers to use quotas up to 50 percent of the number of employees. With programs lasting up to 160 actual days, participants will receive theoretical and practical knowledge together and will have the opportunity to immediately apply the competencies they gain at the end of the program. Thus, employers will be able to train the qualified personnel they are looking for themselves.”

Minister Işıkhan stated that within the scope of the program, employers will employ at least 60 percent of the participants for at least twice the duration of the training, thus ensuring that the participants can directly transfer the skills they have acquired to business life and that employers will gain qualified workforce.

Minister Işıkhan pointed out that one of the biggest problems of working life is unregistered employment and said:

“In consultation with relevant stakeholders and public institutions, we have started our reform efforts regarding work permit

s in order to meet the needs of our labor market and increase the registered work of foreigners. First of all, we have revised the work permit evaluation criteria. In this process, our Directorate General of International Labor Force has also received the opinions of all our institutions. While carrying out our work, we have taken into account the labor force needs of the sectors and we have also taken an approach to prevent foreigners from working informally.”

The meeting continued closed to the press after Minister Işıkhan's speech.