 from 17,002 lira in 2024, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.){kind=link}
The Turkish government has announced a 30 percent increase in the monthly minimum wage for 2025, raising it to 22,104 Turkish lira ($630.36) from 17,002 lira in 2024, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made the announcement, which is expected to affect more than 7 million workers, on X on Tuesday evening.
Opposition party leaders and labor union representatives expressed disappointment over the wage hike, accusing the government of ignoring the high cost of living.
The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) announced last week that it had expected the minimum wage to be raised to 29,583 lira. In a statement released later on Tuesday, the labor union said the amount announced by the government was “far from” meeting the workers’ expectations.
“Even if the minimum wage was determined for a period of six months, it would still be at an unacceptable level. However, the figure announced will remain in effect for an entire year,” Türk-İş said in its statement.
Economists predict that this minimum wage increase will contribute to rising inflation in the coming months. According to calculations by Reuters based on central bank studies, a 25 percent wage increase would raise annual inflation by between 1.5 and 5 percentage points.
Turkey’s inflation declined to 47.09 percent in November, down from an annual high of 75 percent in May, primarily due to tight monetary and fiscal policies. However, the improvement has been slower than previously forecast, according to the central bank.