Minister of Labour and Social Security Prof. Dr. Vedat IŞIKHAN paid official visits in Izmir

Minister of Labour and Social Security Prof. Dr. Vedat IŞIKHAN went to Izmir to pay official visits and to attend various programmes.

Within the scope of his visits in the city, Minister IŞIKHAN first visited Izmir Governorship and had a meeting with Governor Mr. Süleyman ELBAN. Minister IŞIKHAN signed the Book of Honor and was briefed by Governor ELBAN about the needs of the city and the works carried out.

“Elderly Care Insurance will be put on the Agenda”

Visiting Education, Health, Culture, Solidarity and Development Foundation of Mardiners in İzmir, Minister IŞIKHAN met citizens from his hometown.

Delivering a speech here, Minister IŞIKHAN stated that they have carried out serious work especially for disadvantaged groups and said;

“We have worked on elderly care insurance for months. Among the 5-year election promises of our Esteemed President, the elderly care insurance was also on the agenda. We carried out the work on care insurance and thus it has been an honour for our Ministry to have drafted it. Our population is ageing. For this very reason, this insurance is of great importance against certain risks. We hope to put it into implementation within the next 5 years.”

Emphasising the necessity of engaging the youth and women in employment, Minister IŞIKHAN stated that masters have not been able to train apprentices recently and added: “If we want to create a working life fit for the Century of Türkiye, we will of course stand by you in the development and implementation of policies at the highest level. But please remember, you will be the main actors. Without you, we cannot do anything”.

Minister IŞIKHAN also visited Vali Kazım Paşa Primary School in Konak District, the primary school from which he had graduated. He was welcomed by students with flowers. After having a brief chat with the students, Minister IŞIKHAN visited the children who were training on the astro pitch in the school garden and took penalty shots with them.

Then Minister IŞIKHAN, as per the scheduled programme, visited tradesmen in Kemeraltı Bazaar, had a conversation with them and listened to their demands and problems.

Afterwards, Minister IŞIKHAN went to İzmir İktisat Congress Centre, where he attended the İzmir Tradesmen Meeting organised by İzmir Union of Chambers of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (IESOB).

Delivering a speech at the programme, Minister IŞIKHAN stated that the tradesmen organisation was a crucial institution in terms of knowing the past and building the future, and that he considered the opinions, demands and suggestions addressed by the tradesmen very valuable.

“Our Economy is Built on Solid Foundations”

Stating that they have not turned down any justified demands from the field until today, Minister IŞIKHAN continued his words as follows;

“Of course, Türkiye is in the process of changing its shell and becoming economically independent. All processes of change are painful and they are not easy. However, we have the power to resist to all kind of adversities. Our economy is built on solid foundations. This is not just a boastful discourse, on the contrary, it is a highly scientific fact put forward by many national and international experts. The sharpest and most explicit indicator is that we have maintained our growth stability despite the global pandemic, the subsequent natural disaster crisis and the financial crises related to them.”

"We Aim to Increase Employment through Flexicurity"

Stating that Türkiye's average annual growth rate was 5.5 per cent, 1.9 percentage points higher than the world average, Minister IŞIKHAN said: "Although we are currently experiencing a temporary rise in inflation due to recently experienced global and national events, we should not forget that Türkiye will reach single-digit inflation rates again under the leadership of our government.”

Referring to the Medium Term Programme publicized by President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, Minister IŞIKHAN said: “Our main framework consists of targets that are focused on our human capital, especially youth and women employment, as well as targets that will increase our investments. We aim to increase employment through flexicurity in labour markets”.

Underlining that they will continue to increase growth and employment with the vision of investment, production, employment and exports, Minister IŞIKHAN stated that according to the most recent data of TURKSTAT, when compared with the previous month’s statistics, the number of employed people reached up to 31 million 671 thousand people with an increase of 318 thousand people in July 2023, whereas the employment rate reached 48.4 percent with a 0.5 percent increase.

"We Employed 99 Thousand Persons through İŞKUR"

Minister IŞIKHAN, stating that as per the latest data provided by İŞKUR (Turkish Employment Agency),  99 thousand people were placed in employment through İŞKUR in August, said:

“I gave instructions to our relevant general directors to increase the effectiveness of the On-the-Job Training Programme and vocational training courses, which enable our employers to train their workers themselves. With our work that will be concluded in a short time, you will be able to benefit from these programmes and courses more effectively and you will not only find the qualified worker you are looking for, you will also contribute to national employment."

Minister IŞIKHAN stated that 836 thousand 514 citizens have been employed through İŞKUR in Izmir in the last 21 years and stated that this figure was 80 thousand 497 in 2022.

Second International Pottery Festival

Afterwards, the opening ceremony of the Second International Pottery Festival, organised by Menemen Municipality with the participation of participants from 34 countries and which will last for three days, was held with the participation of Minister IŞIKHAN.

Minister IŞIKHAN thanked Mr. Aydın PEHLİVAN, Mayor of Menemen Municipality as the organising authority and everyone who contributed to the organisation process. Stating that traditional handicrafts contributed to the economy and provide employment opportunities for many people, Minister IŞIKHAN said:

“We make employment policies required by traditional professions together with relevant institutions, institutions and organisations such as professional chambers. In particular, we have carried out many projects and programmes in order to revive our traditional professions that are about to be forgotten.”

Minister IŞIKHAN underlined that such a comprehensive organisation, which hosted participants from 34 countries with its symposiums with academicians from many universities, workshops, concerts, exhibitions and producer stands, will certainly contribute to both tourism and the economy of the country. He continued his words as follows: "As the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, we will continue to provide incentives to revive traditional professions and to support such efforts on artisanship and manual labour”.

During his visits within the scope of Izmir Programme, Minister IŞIKHAN was accompanied by Izmir Governor Mr. Süleyman ELBAN, AK-Party Provincial Head for Izmir Mr. Bilal SAYGILI, AK-Party Izmir MP Ms. Ceyda BÖLÜNMEZ ÇANKIRI and Ministry Bureaucrats.