More than 658,000 people in Turkey and about 170,000 in Syria lost their incomes as a result of the devastating earthquakes in February. The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported this on Tuesday, calling for urgent support for those affected and to prevent poverty.
"Initial figures show that more than 658,000 workers in Turkey are unable to earn a living as a result of the earthquake," the report said, adding that according to the country's authorities, "more than 150,000 jobs are unusable." The ILO estimates that each of the workers in the affected areas is losing more than $230 per month on average, and the total loss of income due to the current crisis is about $150 million per month.
"In Syria, where 12 years of civil war have already wreaked havoc on the economy and labor market, an estimated 170,000 workers lost their jobs as a result of the earthquakes," the report said. Some 154,000 households and more than 725,000 people were "directly affected," and some 35,000 micro, small and medium enterprises were affected. Temporary unemployment "led to a total loss of labor income equivalent to at least $5.7 million per month," the experts stated.
The ILO, a UN specialized agency, predicts that poverty in Turkey and Syria will rise if the people who lost their incomes because of the earthquakes are not provided with urgent and targeted support. "Employment assistance is central to a successful and comprehensive response to this disaster," said ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo. "People can only begin to rebuild their lives if they have rebuilt their livelihoods. We have an obligation to ensure <...> that the principles of social justice and decent work are firmly entrenched in the recovery and reconstruction process," he stressed.
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Based on materials from TASS