More Turks could lose jobs as COVID-19 plays out

Significance

Hurriyet Editor-in-chief Ahmet Hakan has queried whether Turkey is becoming a society without class or privilege. Well-intentioned anti-crisis policies have widened inequalities between those in formal employment, informal employment and the self-employed. This could stoke tensions in a polarised society where income inequality is already pronounced.

Impacts

• Young people will try to emigrate but for most this will not be possible, while the birth rate could well decline.
• Social and economic modernisation will slow, with women more dependent on male relatives and young people on their families.
• Most refugees will continue to need assistance to meet basic needs and to counter child labour and irregular emigration.
• Social assistance, labour market and employment policies will require retuning and demand more attention and resources than before.