Urgent support needed for hundreds of thousands of workers after Türkiye, Syria earthquakes

Hundreds of thousands of workers in Türkiye and Syria have lost their livelihoods because of the earthquakes that hit the south-eastern provinces of Türkiye and northern regions of Syria in February.

Without urgent and dedicated support, poverty, informality and child labour are expected to increase, according to new International Labour Organisation (ILO) assessments of the labour market impact of the disaster.

“Employment promotion is central to a successful and inclusive response to this disaster,” said ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo. “People can only begin to rebuild their lives if they have rebuilt their livelihoods. We owe it to those who have lost so much in the earthquake to ensure that the principles of social justice and decent work are firmly embedded in the recovery and reconstruction process.”

Initial data from Türkiye suggest the earthquake left more than 658,000 workers unable to earn their living. The government says that more than 150,000 workplaces are unusable. The ILO estimates that these affected workers face average income losses of more than $230 per month each for as long as the disruption continues. Overall, the crisis is likely to have reduced take-home labour income by around $150 million per month in the affected areas.

The affected provinces in Türkiye are home to more than four million workers, most of whom work in agriculture, manufacturing, trade or other low-value-added services. In Malatya 58.8 per cent of work hours are estimated to have been lost, while in Adıyaman the figure is 48.1 per cent and in Hatay the figure is more than 45.2 per cent.