Turkish state to employ 40,000 disabled people in 2016

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

At least 60,000 disabled citizens will sit for a test on April 23 to compete for civil service jobs, as the Turkish state aims to hire some 40,000 persons with disabilities by the end of 2016.

The central hiring exam, which is made up of 60 questions on a range of topics, including mathematics and geography, was launched in 2011 in order to facilitate the hiring of disabled people. The test is organized flexibly, as the number of questions asked and the time limit is determined based on the applicant’s level of disability.      

The first exam took place a year later and resulted in more than 5,000 people being employed in public positions.      

Turkish Family and Social Policies Minister Sema Ramazanoğlu said in January that the number of disabled people employed in the public sector in 2015 surpassed 40,000, up from around 27,000 in 2012. In 2016, the government plans to place another 40,000 disabled people in positions.      

Disabled citizens constitute around 6 percent of the Turkish population, some 4.5 million people, according to data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK). However, Family and Social Policies Ministry research conducted in 2005 showed that more than 75 percent of disabled people were unable to participate in the workforce, even though half of them wanted to work in suitable positions, according to a separate TÜİK study conducted in 2010. 

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government initiated a work quota scheme in 2005 in order to help resolve one of the major challenges faced by citizens with disabilities and obliged private companies and public institution to employ a certain number of disabled people. 

Currently, companies that employ more than 50 people are expected to hire at least two disabled workers or face fines.

The state has also introduced various incentives, such as tax cuts, for those private companies that employ disabled people.      

In 2012, the private sector hired at least 35,000 disabled people. In the first eight months of 2015, it employed at least 14,000 disabled people, according to Ramazanoğlu.