Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) President Abdurrahman Kaan released a written statement regarding the loss of employment likely to occur because of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
In his statement, Kaan recorded the following:
In order to minimize the social, societal and economic effects in our country of the Covid-19 pandemic that has taken the world under its influence, our state officials and our state institutions, first and foremost our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, are putting forward an extraordinary effort.
As Türkiye's most widespread and most powerful capital platform on a global scale, we are at work with our more than 11 thousand members and our nearly 60 thousand enterprises in order to provide our state with the highest level of support at this point. One of the greatest points of concern for Türkiye regarding this pandemic, whose effects on the world economy in the short and long term are inevitable and which is foreseen to create a new world order, is the loss of employment likely to emerge in parallel with the loss of business by enterprises. As a structure that, since the day we were founded, has prioritized not only earning money but the interests of our country and the welfare of the people of our country, we are calling on our members and our business world to continue employment, declaring that we will do everything in our power so that no negative development emerges at this point in our enterprises operating under the roof of MÜSİAD and that, for this reason, no loss of employment will be experienced within our organization.
In this context, we believe that the deferral of withholding tax, VAT and social security premiums provided to our employers within the scope of the "Economic Stability Shield" package, the minimum wage support that will reach 7 billion liras in total, the flexible working conditions and the other conveniences provided regarding the compensatory working period will be effective in preserving the current employment rate. As in the past Employment Mobilization practices, our belief is complete that all our employers will put their shoulder to the wheel in order to preserve employment and thus enable our national economy to emerge from this process with the least damage. With this spirit of unity and togetherness, we hope that the unemployment rate, which stood at %13.7 as of the end of 2019, will converge towards the %11.8 targeted within the scope of the New Economy Program as of the end of 2020.
On this occasion, we are making a call to the leading representatives of our business world so that no loss of employment is experienced; and we consider it a debt of gratitude to thank our esteemed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who with his unifying attitude has enabled our nation to act as a single body in this process, our Minister of Health Dr. Fahrettin Koca first and foremost, who is carrying out the process with great maturity and professionalism, our Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak, our Minister of the Interior Süleyman Soylu, our Minister of Trade Ruhsar Pekcan and all our ministries.