Baladi News (Firas Al-Ali)
In Turkey, Syrian citizens face several difficulties, notably finding jobs that can help them cover their expenses, due to the high costs of living in this country, several Syrian families have more than a member working to meet their very basic needs.
For Employers, the spread of Syrian laborers raises competition with the Turkish ones. Many of these employers hire Syrian workers for several reasons; including their low costs and good skills in various fields. Moreover, Syrian laborers are often more preferable for employers in order to avoid paying for health insurance, which is mandatory when hiring Turkish citizens.
Economic officials in Turkey indicated that the rising numbers of Syrians could have influenced unemployment rate in the country. Mehmet Şimşek, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Financial Affairs, said, "The Turkish government planned to bring down the deficit to below 4%. Although we could reduce inflation to a single digit, deficit remained at 9%, which is too high".
The Turkish official added that "Keeping strong support for the financial policy during this stage is critical, coupled with carrying out structural reforms in the financial system in preparation for the contribution in supporting the European Union, "
Earlier this year, Ministry of Labour and Social Security in Turkey, had issued a report showing that the 7351 Syrian workers had been formally registered and granted work permits. Meanwhile, 500 thousand are working without permits.
Turkey is hosting more than 2.7 million Syrians in various provinces, with the majority of them living in the southern areas bordering Syria. In such areas, including Kilis, Hatay, Gaziantep and Urfa, the high concentrations of the Syrian laborers are attributed to projects started by Syrian businessmen, where Syrians are hired in different occupations.