Project

Promoting Decent Work For Syrians Under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens

Facilitating the access of Syrians and Turkish citizens to the formal labour market, supporting them to develop, adapt and strengthen their skills and competences and strengthening institutional capacities of the labour market actors.

Project details

Duration

6 December 2018 - 30 December 2025

Development partner(s)

Federal Republic of Germany through KfW Development Bank

Reference

TUR/18/01/DEU, TUR/19/03/DEU, TUR/22/02/DEU

Contact

Emily Harwit, Project Manager, harwit@ilo.org , Kıvanç Özvardar Bahar, Communication Officer, ozvardar@ilo.org

Additional details

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Background

With over 3,1 million Syrians under Temporary Protection (SuTP) (Ministry of Interior Presidency of Migration Management data, as of May 2024), for the tenth year in a row, Türkiye is the country hosting the largest number of refugees in the world.

Recognizing the need to strengthen the resilience and self-reliance of refugees, the Turkish government has designed strong protection systems that grant access to education, the health system, social services as well as the labour market. To support the public institutions, manage the increased pressure on public services and to assist people in gaining a living, the ILO is implementing long-term strategies to bolster refugees' and host communities' resilience through better access to the decent job opportunities.

The project is implemented by the ILO Office for Türkiye in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS) and its key agencies and directorates, including the Social Security Institution (SSI) and Directorate-General for International Labour Force (DGILF), with unions of chambers of tradesmen and craftsmen and municipalities as well as other public agencies and stakeholders.

Project information

To support the labour market and businesses in Türkiye through increasing decent work opportunities and strengthening of governance systems and structures, the ILO is implementing the Refugee Response Programme.

This project on Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens is implemented as part of this Programme and facilitates the access of Syrians under Temporary Protection (Türkiye has not granted refugees from Syria official refugee status, but, in most instances, Syrians under Temporary Protection status) and Turkish citizens to the formal labour market, supports them to develop and strengthen their skills and competences to match with the labour market needs as well as strengthens labour market governance system facilitating decent work for all.
Component 1- The Work-Based Learning Programme (WBL)

Through WBL, jobseekers (Syrians and Turkish citizens) gain formal job experience and training, while employers gain access to a qualified workforce.

Wages and social security premiums are partly subsidized, and work permit cost are covered by the programme.

Financial support is provided for women to support their integration in the labour market and cover childcare services. 30% of the WBL beneficiaries are women.

The programme also supports the inclusive employment of persons with disabilities. 5% of WBL beneficiaries are people with disabilities.

The WBL programme is being implemented in Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Denizli, Gaziantep and Istanbul to assist beneficiaries develop their skills and access to and retain informal jobs.

Component 2- Information Centres (locally known as BILMERs)

BILMERs provide inclusive and efficient services to support informal tradesmen, craftsmen and jobseekers to enter the formal labour market in Türkiye.

BILMERs raise employers’ awareness of the rules and regulations in the labour market and provide work permit application support as well as referrals to incentives, training and employment opportunities.

Partnerships are set up with the Unions of Chambers Tradesmen and Craftsmen (locally known as ESOBs) and municipalities in eight cities across Türkiye to establish nine BILMERs to provide adequate information on the formalization process through consultations.

ILO has operational BILMERs in Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Konya, Adana, Mersin, Bursa, Hatay and Istanbul offering services to mainly informal micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and jobseekers in Türkiye.

Component 3- Transition to Formality Programme (KIGEP)

Through the KIGEP, the project provides support to employers to employ equal numbers of Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens formally.

Employers receive support payment for employees registered with KIGEP for six months. In addition, for refugee employees, work permit fee is covered under the KIGEP programme.

The main partner is the Social Security Institution (SSI) under Ministry of Labour and Social Services which also encourages formal employment of Syrians as well as Turkish citizens.

KIGEP operates in 16 provinces across Türkiye under the SSI Provincial Directorate.