'Over 5 mln people left unemployed' amid coronavirus pandemic in Turkey

Duvar English

More people in Turkey worried about unemployment than about coronavirus pandemic

Over 5 million people were reportedly left either temporarily or permanently unemployed amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Turkey.

Some 144,690 workplaces were temporarily closed as part of the measures to curb the spread of the pandemic, resulting in a significant increase in the number of people unemployed, according to a report prepared by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

Unemployment has been a major problem in Turkey, with the number of those unemployed officially standing at 4,394,000 before the pandemic.

The CHP, however, said that the numbers are higher than officially stated, daily Cumhuriyet reported on April 5.

According to the CHP, nearly 5,190,000 people were left unemployed when workplaces were shutdown since the beginning of the outbreak.

Turkey's main opposition criticizes gov't over loss of jobs due to measures against coronavirus

Turkey reported its first coronavirus case on March 11 and has been adopting measures to curb the spread of the highly contagious virus. The death toll exceeded 500 in the country on April 4.

The CHP's report said that 504,000 people previously working at hairdressers or beauty parlors, which were ordered to be shutdown, are currently not working.

The number is 500,000 for shopping mall employees, 259,000 for coffeehouse workers, 150,000 for canteen workers in schools, universities and dormitories, 360,000 for drivers and attendants at school service buses, 1,900,000 for employees of shutdown restaurants, diners and cafes, 500,000 for motorcycle couriers, 1,000,000 for house workers and 1,000,000 for street vendors.