Public Employment Hits Record High in Q2 2025

Data released by Turkey’s Strategy and Budget Presidency reveals that public sector employment rose to 5,417,126 in the second quarter of 2025.

Core Numbers: Employment Surge and Underlying Trends

■Total public employment 5,417,126 people, an increase of 127,677 versus the same quarter last year.

■Permanent staff 3,582,025 (≈66.0%)

■Contractual staff 419,801

■Continuous workers 1,267,501

■Temporary workers 50,418

■Other categories 97,381

Budgetary and Workforce Dynamics: Share of Permanent vs. Contractual Workers

■Employees in general‑budget public administrations total 3,676,689, representing 67.9% of the overall public workforce.

■This marks an increase of 80,801 from 3,595,888 a year earlier.

■Higher Education Council (YÖK) institutions saw staff rise from 321,348 to 325,021.

■Social security institutions added 363 employees, reaching 42,500.

Regional and Functional Breakdown

■Special‑budget other administrations employed 111,792 people (+7,626).

■Other public administrations recorded 6,385 staff (+146).

■Municipalities and affiliated bodies counted 174,077 employees (+2,407).

■Municipal economic entities grew from 665,163 to 696,178 (+31,015).

■Provincial special administrations reported 8,160 staff (up 169 from 7,991).

The steady rise in public employment sends a clear signal to policymakers and market participants alike. The high share of permanent staff underscores the durability of fiscal outlays, while the uptick in contractual and temporary hires hints at growing labor‑flexibility measures. Investors may find opportunities in sectors benefiting from expanded public spending, particularly infrastructure and service‑oriented firms.