International Labour Force Advisory Board convened under the chairmanship of Minister Işıkhan

In his opening speech at the meeting held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Minister Işıkhan stated that the Board was convened in order to carry out international labour policies in Türkiye in a more effective and inclusive manner.

Pointing out that the global economy and labour markets are in a process of rapid change and transformation, Minister Işıkhan said: ‘Various issues such as globalisation, digitalisation, wars and conflicts, climate change and demographic movements are changing and diversifying migration routes, increasing global human mobility and thus deeply affecting labour markets.

Stating that the need for qualified labour force has always existed throughout history, Minister Işıkhan continued his speech as follows:

‘With the globalisation process, the demand for international qualified labour force has increased even more and international labour mobility has gained momentum as well as competition in this field. In this context, while it is observed that highly qualified labour force is oriented towards knowledge and technology intensive sectors, there are also cases where low qualified labour force plays critical roles in certain sectors. As a matter of fact, foreign workers have become a ‘lifeline’, so to speak, for European countries, where the proportion of the population in active working age is gradually decreasing and the proportion of dependent population is increasing, and countries have started to compete with each other to attract ‘highly qualified’ foreign labour force.

Stating that they aim for Türkiye to become a centre of attraction for qualified labour, Işıkhan said, ‘I would like to emphasise that our international labour force policies are primarily based on providing employment opportunities for our own citizens. In cases where our own labour supply is not sufficient, we benefit from the complementary effect of the international labour force.’

Pointing out that it is important for Türkiye’s interests that the issue of foreigners is handled in a prudent and rational manner, Işıkhan noted the following:

‘The process of establishing and executing international labour force policy involves a multi-dimensional structure including economic, social, cultural and political. With this awareness, we work together in coordination and cooperation with relevant institutions and organisations. While carrying out our work, we take care to take steps in a way that will create added value for our economy, increase our trade and tourism revenues and attract qualified labour force, taking into account our sensitivities in foreign policy and taking into account the security considerations of our country. In this respect, the suggestions and evaluations you will present at this meeting are of great importance. I believe that today's meeting will prepare the ground for productive discussions and concrete solution proposals that will contribute to our goals.’

In the meeting chaired by Minister of Labour and Social Security Prof. Dr. Vedat Işıkhan and attended by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security Faruk Özçelik, Deputy Minister of Interior Mehmet Aktaş, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpaslan, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Zekeriya Çoştu, Deputy Minister of Trade Sezai Uçarmak, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Treasury and Finance and the Presidency of Strategy and Budget, issues related to international labour mobility and international labour force in Türkiye were discussed and issues related to the updated work permit evaluation criteria were evaluated.