Tepav: Employment Decreased in Agriculture and Manufacturing in September, Construction Sector on the Rise

According to the data released by SGK for September 2024, the number of insured workers increased by 2% compared to the same period last year, reaching 25.6 million. According to a report by Tepav, with this increase, the number of employees receiving the Social Security Support Premium (SGDP) rose by 11.2%, making up 8.1% of total employees.

Different trends were observed across sectors. The agriculture, manufacturing, and construction sectors, which account for 52.1% of insured wage earners, displayed notable employment fluctuations. In September, employment in the construction sector increased by 7.3%, while wholesale and retail trade saw a rise of 2.9%. However, employment in the manufacturing sector decreased by 1.3%. Additionally, it has been observed that employment contractions in the agricultural sector have continued over the past three months.

Growth is notable in the service sectors. Employment changes in service sectors varied. While there was a decline in the real estate sector throughout the year, a 6% decrease was observed in international organizations and representative activities. Conversely, there was an increase of 7.6% in accommodation and food services, 3.9% in education, and 11.6% in human health and social services.

In the earthquake-affected regions, the number of workplaces is on the rise. In September, the most significant increase in the number of workplaces occurred in Istanbul, while growth rates in the earthquake zones drew attention. High increases were noted in the number of workplaces in Adıyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya, especially in Adıyaman, where a 37.4% increase was recorded.

Employment is shifting towards large-scale enterprises. Looking at the overall data for 2024, it was observed that the share of employment in large enterprises increased by 4.5%, while the employment share of micro-enterprises declined. Large enterprises accounted for 22.2% of total employment, while micro-enterprises ranked first with a share of 29.6%. These figures indicate that sectoral trends, as well as economic dynamics, differ on a regional and business scale.