Turkey: Industrial sector created 337,000 jobs in 2020

By Yunus Girgin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s industrial sector over the last year provided 337,000 additional jobs, the country's industry and technology minister said on Friday.

With the momentum seen in investment figures and electricity consumption in industrial zones, Turkey had a strong start to 2021, said Mustafa Varank, speaking to a virtual Chemistry Sector Council Meeting.

Touting Turkey's strong economic performance, he said: "With an 11.4% jump in January, Turkey became one of the G20 countries with the largest rise in year-on-year industrial production."

After finishing off 2020 with growth of 1.8%, among the G20 Turkey’s growth rate was second only to China, he added.

Varank stressed that in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic Turkey saw some contractions, but then its economy pulled ahead of the pack by applying effective policies.

"Moreover, Turkey lent a helping hand to more than 130 countries during the pandemic and will share with countries in need all of its successes from the fight against the pandemic," he added.

Highlighting the importance of the chemical sector, Varank said with total exports of $19.5 billion, it was Turkey’s number two exporting sector in 2020 after the automotive industry.

"In addition to traditional industries such as textiles, metals, construction and paper, the chemical sector also provides critical raw materials and intermediate products to the fields of aviation, space, automotive, information and communications technologies, and machinery."

This shows that the chemical sector lays the foundation for the Turkish economy, he added.