Prof. Dr. Hakan Kara Reveals Grim Picture for Minimum Wage Earners: 'Today is May 1st, a Good Day to Remember...'

As Turkey marks May 1st, Labor and Solidarity Day, a stark reality faces millions of minimum wage earners. Prof. Dr. Ali Hakan Kara, a respected former chief economist at the Central Bank of Turkey, has brought crucial attention to the alarming erosion of purchasing power for those on the minimum wage. His analysis, shared on social media, paints a grim picture: the minimum wage has fallen below the poverty line, a situation more dire than during the high inflation period of 2022.

Kara's data reveals a significant trend: the ratio of the minimum wage to the poverty line, which hovered around 0.9-1 between 2017-2021, plummeted to 0.8 in 2022. While there was a slight recovery, by 2026, it has again dropped to this critical level. This means that a substantial portion of the workforce is struggling to afford basic necessities, a fact that resonates deeply on a day meant to celebrate workers' rights and solidarity.

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Today is May 1st. It's a good day to remember that the minimum wage has fallen below the poverty line by 20%.

From our perspective at Cumhuriyet, this isn't just an economic statistic; it's a reflection of the daily struggles faced by ordinary Turkish families. While international outlets might focus on inflation rates or economic growth figures, the reality on the ground is about the shrinking value of hard-earned money. The government's policies and the global economic climate have combined to create a situation where even those who work full-time find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. This stark contrast between the celebration of Labor Day and the reality of diminished purchasing power is a critical issue for our readership.

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The purchasing power of the minimum wage is in a worse state than even the period of suddenly exploding inflation in 2022.