According to TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute), unemployment figures reached the highest level of the last four years in 2014. However, this negative situation is expected to change in 2015. Figures also corroborate this expectation. The number of job advertisements increased by nine percent in February. The more important thing is that one in four employers states that he/she will raise employment levels in the second quarter of the year. Leading sectors will be tourism, real estate, construction and retail industries. TÜIK announced that the number of unemployed persons across Turkey was 3,145 thousand as of December 2014. The unemployment rate in the same period was 10.9 percent. The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed persons decreased by 58 thousand in December 2014 compared to the previous period. The unemployment rate became 10.4 percent. In December 2014, the number of employed persons at the age of 15 and above was 25,642 thousand and the employment rate was 44.7 percent. Labor was 28,787 thousand persons in December 2014 and the labor force participation rate was 50.2 percent. To tell the truth, in an assessment carried out considering only the unemployment rates, it is possible to think that the current situation is not promising. The reason is that the unemployment rate had not reached this level in the previous four years. However, two election periods in 2014, one of them being the first Presidential election of Turkey, the conflict between our northern neighbors, Ukraine and Russia, bringing the two countries to the brink of war, and the intense migration wave due to the on-going disorder in Syria all proved to have an effect on the rising unemployment rate in 2014. JOB ADVERTISEMENTS INCREASED BY 9 PERCENT IN FEBRUARY However, this negative situation observed in 2014 regarding employment is expected to change in 2015. Experts agree that especially the second half of this year will be more buoyant in terms of employment compared to 2014. First data regarding this buoyancy was obtained from Kariyer.net which is one of the leading employment and career companies of Turkey. “Kariyer. net Employment Index” prepared based on the new job advertisements increased by 9 percent compared to the previous month. According to the statement of the company, 52,276 advertisements were placed on Kariyer.net in February for only 20 business days. As per the Employment Index data of Kariyer. net, while the textile industry remained a leader in the list of industries providing many job opportunities, the construction and informatics industries took second and third place, respectively. These industries were followed by the production, health, service, tourism, business, automotive and electric-electronic industries. In February, while the highest increase took place in the automotive industry by 28 percent, job advertisements from business and tourism industries increased by 21 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Especially in Eastern Anatolia and the Eastern Black Sea region, job advertisements regarding the building industry increased by up to 50 percent in February. TOURISM, LODGING AND RETAIL INDUSTRIES ARE LOOKING FOR PERSONNEL The employment report of February prepared by Yenibiris.com, employment and human resources site, in line with the job advertisements and applications indicated a similar situation. Yenibiris.com Board Member Kamil Özörnek stated the following about the employment data of February: “In general, job applications slightly increased compared to the previous month, we expect that applications will increase more with the effect of employees who cannot get the desired wage increase.” According to the report, the tourism and lodging industry increased its recruitment rates by 4 points to win first place, as in January. The tourism and lodging industry was followed by the education and retail industries. While the industries in which job advertisements are placed mostly remain the same, in the information industry, where qualified personnel are needed, job advertisements have increased compared to the previous month. Most of the advertisements placed in February were for sales representatives across all industries, followed by English teachers. In the retail industry, recruitment processes are buoyant as always with the effect of new stores and personnel circulation. It has become the second industry for job advertisements after tourism. In this industry, job advertisements are mostly placed for sales representatives and the need for store managers has increased compared to the last three months. Cashiers are among the most needed personnel as always. Preparations for the next education period have started in the education industry. The need for English teachers has significantly increased over the last month. Nursery school teachers are the most needed personnel in the educational institutions in this period. 26% OF EMPLOYERS EXPECT AN EMPLOYMENT INCREASE IN THE 2ND QUARTER While Kariyer.net and Yenibiris.com indicate an increase in the job advertisements in the first quarter, the “Q2 2015 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey” conducted by Manpower Group, one of the leading companies in the area of staffing solutions indicates an increase in expectations for the second quarter. According to the survey, Turkish employers make high lekategorilerivel personnel recruitment plans for the second quarter of 2015. The survey, which has been conducted by Manpower for more than 50 years, was prepared by interviewing more than 65 thousand public and private sector employers in 42 countries across the world and with a thousand managers in Turkey in order to measure the employment tendencies of employers. In the survey, it has been revealed that 27 percent of the employers expect an employment increase in the second quarter of 2015 in which an important election will be held in Turkey. While 64 percent of the employers forecasted that the employment rate of his/her company would remain the same, only six percent expected a decline. As per the report, the net employment outlook in Turkey is +16% when seasonally adjusted and this is the highest rate for the second quarter along with the rates of South Africa, Finland, Greece and Romania in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). THE MOST OPTIMISTIC INDUSTRIES REGARDING EMPLOYMENT INCREASE ARE AGRICULTURE AND REAL ESTATE Employers in all 11 industries taken as a basis in the survey expect an employment increase in the second quarter of 2015. Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishery are the industries in which the highest employment increase will take place with +23% net Employment outlook. The finance, insurance, real estate and corporate services industries are the second most optimistic industries regarding employment rates with a rate of +20%. General Manager of Manpower Turkey, Reha Hatipoglu, who attributes the acceleration in the Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Corporate Services industries to the buoyancy in the real estate market stated the following regarding the situation: “It is possible that the on-going mobility in the real estate industry stimulates the buoyancy in the relevant areas such as credit and insurance.” Compared to the previous quarter, in 8 of 11 industries in Turkey, employment expectations fall. The most significant falls are observed in the production industry with 9 points. Hatipoglu evaluated this situation as follows: “Despite the decline in the production industry, it is forecasted that the employment rates will remain the same. As the previous quarter, the high exchange rates create an advantageous environment for those who make export oriented production.” All of the four business categories expect an employment increase over the next three months. The most significant employment expectations are reported from large and medium scale enterprises (whose net employment outlooks are +28% and +23% respectively). REGULATIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY WILL POSITIVELY AFFECT EMPLOYMENT Another factor that will positively affect employment is expected to be the regulations on occupational health and safety and environmental protection areas. Experts emphasize that especially in the construction, energy and mining industries where risk levels are high, a qualified workforce will be needed for the occupational health and environment departments with the new regulations on occupational health and safety. On the other hand, green professions will be popular in line with the applications of the Kyoto Protocol, investments in renewable energy resources, carbon tax, and efforts on raising environmental awareness. In particular, in this area, the need for qualified personnel graduated from engineering faculties will increase. Positions such as renewable energy consultant and engineer, wind energy expert, green marketing consultant, renewable energy law, environment and energy law expert and organic agriculture engineer will be prominent. Works regarding the development of policies to increase personnel engagement, leadership and talent management will be accelerated. As branded house and Shopping Center projects increase, this creates a qualified and competent personnel need in the area of real estate sales and consultancy. This industry will be developed more in 2015 and in parallel to this, more competent personnel graduated from the university and who are educated in foreign languages will be needed.