DİSK-AR Report: Workers in Turkey Lost Nearly ₺1.2 Trillion in 8 Months
worker welding steel in construction workshop
The Research Institute of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK-AR) has released its “Wage Loss Monitoring Report” (August 2025), revealing the dramatic impact of high inflation and heavy taxation on workers’ incomes.
According to the report, in the first eight months of 2025, the average disposable income of a registered worker dropped by ₺37,000. Across the workforce, the total cumulative income loss approached ₺1.2 trillion.
August Snapshot: ₺196.8 Billion Loss in One Month
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In August alone, inflation losses for all registered workers totaled ₺120 billion.
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When combined with tax-related erosion, the monthly loss reached ₺196.8 billion.
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The eight-month cumulative shortfall is now at a staggering ₺1.2 trillion.
The numbers underline how deeply workers’ earnings are being hollowed out, despite nominal wage increases.
Low-Income Groups Hit the Hardest
The report shows the burden is not evenly shared:
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A worker earning the minimum wage lost about ₺55,000 in eight months.
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A worker earning three times the minimum wage saw their income shrink by nearly ₺240,000.
This data suggests that the real wage erosion worsens as incomes rise, pushing middle-income earners closer to hardship.
Inflation and Tax Burden as Key Drivers
DİSK-AR identifies two main reasons behind the wage erosion:
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Persistent Inflation: Even official inflation figures fail to capture the true scale of workers’ purchasing power losses.
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Regressive Tax Structure: The report highlights that the rising tax burden effectively transfers income from workers to wealthier groups, deepening inequality.
The findings reinforce long-standing calls from unions for tax reform and stronger worker protections to prevent further erosion of incomes.
