Turkish gov’t signals above-expectations increase for 2025 minimum wage

As the year-end approaches, employers and employees in Türkiye have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of the new minimum wage. The Turkish government has signaled a shift in its rhetoric, hinting at a raise that could exceed expectations.

Recent statements from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Treasury Minister Mehmet Simsek and Labor Minister Vedat Isikhan, signaled that the government was considering raising the minimum wage as high as 45%, to ₺24,652 ($713).

The current net minimum wage in Türkiye is ₺17,002 per month (around $490).

The year-end inflation figures are set to be a deciding factor behind the negotiations for the minimum wage increase with the Turkish central bank’s estimates placing the inflation rate at 44%.

The minimum wage in Türkiye is decided by a commission of representatives from workers, employers, and the government, each having one voting right. A simple majority vote is required for the decisions to become final, instead of unanimity.

Erdogan had said Wednesday that the government was carefully monitoring inflation figures and the percentage of increase they put forward would make workers happy and satisfied.

Simsek, while refraining from making a direct comment on the issue, stated “We will not let our workers get crushed by inflation.”

Likewise, Minister of Labor and Social Security Isikhan did not provide specific numbers but said: “We hope that we will determine a minimum wage figure for 2025 that everyone will agree upon.”

While expectations for the 2025 increase ranged from 25% to 45%, public sentiment tells a different story regarding minimum wage, according to recent polls.

A poll by Asal Research, across 26 provinces, revealed that half of the participants responded by saying minimum wage should be between ₺28,000 and ₺30,000 which would mean an increase of above 65%.

That is a figure closer to what the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel proposed this month as minimum wage talks loom on the horizon.