“We will raise awareness among our companies”
OSTİM has pledged support for the employment mobilization campaign launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry (TOBB) Economic Council.
Recalling President Erdoğan's words, “It’s time to roll up our sleeves again,” and “I invite all members of our union and all our provinces to actively participate in the employment mobilization we are launching today,” OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın stated, “We support President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for an employment mobilization. There are tasks for everyone – individual, corporate, and regional. We will cooperate with the Ankara Chamber of Industry, the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, and relevant institutions. We will also continue to raise awareness through the OSTİM Employment Office, which operates to connect companies seeking workers with job seekers and is authorized by İş-Kur (Turkish Employment Agency).”
“If there is domestic production, there will be jobs”
Pointing out that the mobilization requires extraordinary effort, Aydın said: “We are not indifferent to this issue, but with the President drawing our attention to it, we need to prioritize it even more. The vast majority of our daily efforts are focused on increasing both production and employment in our region. The focus of all our cluster activities points to this: ‘How can we lift SMEs from their current position and increase their production and employment?’ Our entire agenda is in this direction. We will increase the awareness of our companies by paying even more attention to this. This is not just the problem of the President and institutions, but of all of us. Along with this, we also underline what the state needs to do in this regard. We have touched upon this extensively in our previous articles and reports.”
Orhan Aydın emphasized that increasing the share of domestic production in public procurement, which amounts to approximately 148 billion TL annually, plays a key role in solving the employment problem. He stated, “Awareness of ‘domestic production,’ one of the most important levers for increasing employment, must be increased in the public sector. Institutions, organizations, and municipalities that prioritize foreign products in public procurement are unaware that they are negatively impacting employment. We need to draw the attention of these insensitive institutions and expose them to the public. If there is domestic production, there will be domestic employment and domestic contribution. The public sector needs to prioritize domestic production in its procurement. This is as important as our efforts. Those who prioritize purchasing foreign goods should also look for jobs for their young people in those countries.”
“We all need to pitch in”
Aydın, emphasizing that SMEs are the businesses closest to their employees, said: “Even if they have little or no work, they won't lay off their employees saying, ‘There's a crisis!’ They will stand by them. Small businesses are sensitive and aware of this. This is an important criterion in employment. We will reflect the President's call for an employment mobilization in our companies, SMEs, and clusters with this sensitivity. This is a societal problem; it is essential that we all contribute. We must show this effort to the very end.”
