ISTANBUL – Turkey’s pandemic-era layoff prohibition and a government pay support system, both implemented in early 2020, both expired on Thursday, along with the majority of remaining coronavirus restrictions, paving the way for an increase in unemployment. Both policies were designed to help businesses and registered employees during the COVID-19 pandemic while also keeping the unemployment rate under control, which was 13.9 percent in April.
Economists predict that relaxing the layoff prohibition will result in a substantial increase in the number of unemployed as businesses struggle to retain personnel as a result of virus-prevention efforts.
The so-called short-worker wage scheme, which partially paid salaries for workers whose hours were cut short, had expired at the end of March, but it was reinstated once Turkey re-imposed stricter coronavirus restrictions.
On Thursday, the final step of Turkey’s gradual normalization process will begin, with curfews and lockdowns abolished and all venues and companies open without restrictions.
After overcome a supply constraint, Turkey has increased immunizations in recent weeks, with roughly 20.7 million doses provided in June.
(Ali Kucukgocmen contributed reporting, and Jonathan Spicer edited the piece.)/n
