Return of Syrians has no significant impact on labor market: Minister

ISTANBUL

The return of Syrian workers to their home country has not created a noticeable gap in Türkiye’s labor market, Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan has said. 

He noted that following the end of the civil war in Syria, a portion of Syrians employed in Türkiye have begun returning, and the ministry has conducted a comprehensive study to assess the impact of this development.

“According to our research, by the end of 2025 the rate of Syrian workers leaving their jobs stood at 25.6 percent,” said the minister.

He emphasized that most of those leaving were employed in low-skilled jobs, which limited the overall effect on the labor market.

“For this reason, no significant shortage has emerged. Looking ahead, we expect that the return process will not create major disruptions, and any potential gaps will balance out over time,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Türkiye reopened a strategic 350-kilometer railway corridor along the Syrian border to freight traffic following an infrastructure overhaul after 13 years of deferred maintenance, aiming to integrate the nation’s southeast into a broader global trade network.

Abdülkadir Uraloğlu, Turkish transport and infrastructure minister, said the route includes the 325-kilometer Karkamış–Nusaybin and the 25-kilometer Şenyurt–Mardin lines.

The route resumed train operations on March 31 after its first comprehensive rehabilitation in over a decade. 

The newly rehabilitated border tracks will serve as a link in the Development Road project.