Persistence of informal employment in Turkey

Download
index.pdf
2013
Başak, Zeynep
Show full item record
197
views
156
downloads
The primary aim of this study is to examine the persistence of informal employment in Turkey and to test two hypotheses proposed by labor market segmentation theory (LMS) which suggest that there are persistent wage, security, working conditions, and control mechanisms differentials between the various segments of the labor market and the labor mobility between the segments is limited. In doing so, two data sets have been utilized: the Household Labor Force Survey (2006-2011) and the retrospective labor market history survey we have conducted. The findings of the three main essays, in addition to the one where the different conceptualizations of the informal sector have been discussed, confirm the segmented nature of the Turkish labor market. Specifically, by investigating the determinants of labor force participation decision and wage inequality in Turkey, the first essay provides clues on the segmentation between formal and informal employment due to the substantial wage differences between them. The second essay investigates the effect of variables over which one has no control on the degree of inequality of earnings in Turkey. The results reveal that gender accounts for the largest share of opportunity inequality. The last essay is devoted to analyze labor market transitions across four labor market states: formal employment, informal employment, non-employment, and out of labor market/schooling. The existence of limited labor mobility between formal and informal employment is verified through the computation of transition probabilities of individuals and the estimation results of a multi-state multi-spell competing risks model.
Labor market, Labor demand, Labor supply, Labor mobility, Precarious employment
http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12616508/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/22894
Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

Essays on informality in the Turkish labor market
Kan, Elif Öznur; Tansel, Aysıt; Department of Economics (2012)
This thesis investigates the nature, extent and dynamics of informal employment in the Turkish labor market using 2006-2009 Turkish Income and Living Conditions Survey. It is mainly a collection of three essays. In the first essay, an attempt is made to analyze the relevance and implications of three alternative characterizations of informality which include an enterprise-based definition associating informality with small firms, an extended enterprise-based definition incorporating social security protecti...
Youth in the labor market and the transition from school to work in Turkey
İlhan, Bengi; Dayıoğlu Tayfur, Meltem; Tunalı, İnsan Tunalı; Department of Economics (2012)
In this thesis, we examine labor market outcomes for the youth (ages 15-29) using microdata from several rounds of the Turkish Household Labor Force Survey (HLFS). We begin by examining demographic trends. We then rely on synthetic cohorts. The fact that the HLFS sample frame targets the civilian non-institutional population brings about difficulties in interpreting labor market indicators. We show that a more reasonable picture of schooling and work choices emerges when a simple correction for ‘missing mal...
Is flexicurity suitable for turkish labour market or not?
Hangün, Saime Özlem; Kalaycıoğlu, Hediye Sibel; Çelik, Kezban; Department of Sociology (2010)
Standard employment definitions have begun to change with the impact of globalization and new concepts such as part-time work, freelance, on-call work, temporary work, fixed-term labour contracts have started to be demanded in the labour market. These new definitions which were determined in order to keep pace with new competitive market environment paved the way of new trends in various countries. Flexicurity is one of these trends which is mostly favoured in European Union agenda. The purpose of this thes...
Essays on quasi-experimental studies in labor economics
Öztürk, Ahmet; Ercan, Hakan; Tümen, Semih; Department of Economics (2017)
This dissertation consists of two empirical papers that explore the causal relationship between education and labor market outcomes in Turkey based on quasi-experimental methods. The instrumental variable strategy has the potential to accurately estimate the true rate of return to schooling, but good instruments are hard to find. In the first essay of the thesis, I develop a new instrument from an unexpected decline in graduates and new admissions in post-secondary education from the student protests in the...
Flexicurity: a deliberate ambiguity
Uslu, Hasan Faruk; Tsarouhas, Dimitris; Department of European Studies (2008)
The aim of this thesis is to focus on the concept of flexicurity, accepted as the new labour market model balancing the needs of employers for greater flexibility in order to adapt to market forces, and the need of employees for security, which has recently been one of the most popular concepts of the debate on labour market reforms in the European Union. While doing so, this thesis discusses the position of key European institutions, especially of the Commission of the European Communities. The main argume...
Citation Formats
Z. Başak, “Persistence of informal employment in Turkey,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2013.
METU IIS - Integrated Information Service open@metu.edu.tr