Economic Cost of Informal Employment in Turkey Exceeds 1 Trillion Lira

Employment Data and the Informal Sector According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), while a total of 32,657,000 people are employed nationwide, the number of those remaining outside the social security umbrella has reached 8,037,000.
This figure indicates that approximately one in four workers in Turkey is employed informally.
Financial Burden on the Treasury and SGK Experts state that the monthly cost of this informal employment is approaching 99 billion lira, with the total annual loss exceeding the 1 trillion lira threshold.
Based on calculations using the 33,030 lira gross minimum wage set for 2026, and assuming an average premium burden of 12,439 lira, it is projected that the Social Security Institution's (SGK) annual premium revenue could increase by nearly 1.2 trillion lira if informal workers were integrated into the system.
The gender distribution of informal employment is particularly noteworthy.
While the informal employment rate among men is 22.3% (4,887,000 people), the rate among women stands at 29.3% (3,150,000 people).
Emphasis on Audits and Social Rights Economists emphasize that the loss in question is large enough to close the deficits in the social security system, highlighting the need for increased effective audit mechanisms and inter-institutional coordination.
It is noted that informal employment is not only an economic loss but also means that millions of workers are deprived of future retirement and health rights.