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Syrian refugees
5
THE EFFECT OF SYRIAN REFUGEES ON THE TURKISH ECONOMY
EFFECTS
Sabrina Fielden
(Reuters, 2014)
6 FEB 2020
The dispersion of Syrian refugees & their effect
- Why were so many Syrians forced to emigrate?
OVERVIEW
- How did the influx of Syrian refugees affect the Turkish?
OVER
VIEW
- What comes next?
(Brookings, 2015)
WHAT LED TO THIS?
WHAT HAPPENED IN SYRIA?
While the civil war in Syria may have seemed, to the West, to have escalated almost instantaneously, several crucial things are often overlooked as having contributed to its culmination. Since, there has been much open-intervention from countries such as Russia, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon in support of the Syrian government, with Turkey, Qatar, Israel and Saudi Arabia backing the Syrian Rebels, with militant support from countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
TIMELINE
Military defects announce the formation of the Anti-Assad "Free Syrian Army," effectively marking the beginning of the civil war
Syrian president Hafez al-Assad dies, leaving son Bashar al-Assad to rule in his place.
"Arab Spring" topples corrupt presidents of Egypt and Tunisia
MAR 2011
JAN 2007
YEAR
TIMELINE
JULY 2011
JUNE 2000
FEB 2011
Peaceful protests break out in Syria after 15 boys were detained, with one fatality.
Onset of severe drought pushes many Syrians out of rural communities and into cities, heightening the poverty crisis and social unrest
(Aljazeera, 2018)
SYRIAN EMIGRATION
When & where Syrians began to relocate
- With the threat of violence, collapsing infrastructure and child endangerment constantly on the horizon, the Syrian people had little choice but to leave.
- As this crisis has now gone on longer than WWII, there are more than 13.1 million people in need in Syria, with over 6.7 million people having fled since 2011 (UNHCR, 2018).
- While there are over a million Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon and 670,000+ in Jordan, Turkey has taken the brunt of the influx, currently harboring roughly 3.5 million refugees (World VIsion, 2019).
- Only 8% of refugees are actually accommodated for in camps, with the vast majority living in urban areas — 70% of which at or below the poverty line.
TURKISH IMPACT
Turkey was, and still remains, home to the largest number of refugees worldwide, having spent over $45 billion supporting them. Syrians and other asylum seekers are also now allowed to receive public benefits under Turkish law, as well as be legally employed, with over 60,000 work permits having been issued for jobs such as seasonal agricultural work and animal husbandry (The Conversation, 2019). So then, how is it that the Turkish economy has actually improved?
HOW DID IT AFFECT TURKEY?
WHY THE
POSITIVE IMPACT?
JOB CREATION
Turkey has structured its response to the refugee crisis almost the opposite of every other refugee-accepting country — Turkey based its policy in non-camp accommodation with governmental funding, while most countries rely solely on refugee camps, trussed by humanitarian aid. So, one might assume this would lead to depleted resources and an even worse financial situation than before, but in fact,
what actually happened was quite
the opposite.
THE JOB MARKET
JOBS
The relatively simple fact of the matter is, Syrians took the jobs the Turkish people did not want. Migrants often accepted work in the "less desirable" job sectors, filling gaps in the workforce as well as boosting internal consumption, resulting in a boost in the Turkish internal market (TUIK, 2019). On top of this, Syrian entrepreneurs have contributed significantly to job creation and economic growth, with over 10,000 companies having
been created, resulting in another 100,000
new jobs. As a final result, wages have
risen across the board.
THE "UNWANTED" JOBS
PHOTOS
(Aljazeera America, 2016)
(BHRRC, 2015)
LONG-TERM EFFECT
Now, over 100,000 Syrians maintain a "permanent resident" status in Turkey, and just as many have obtained official citizenship. There is no governmental intention to make the Syrians return, even with a future resolution of the war, with Turkish president Erdogan even saying "Migrants do not pose a problem; they are a great opportunity for Turkey."
LASTING
If Turkey sees migrants as such an opportunity, and it's been proven that the refugees have indeed helped their economy, why have no other countries taken this approach?
CITATIONS
CITATIONS
REGARDING SYRIA
Alkaya, C. (2020). Syrian refugees in Turkey are there to stay, at least for now. [online] The Conversation. Available at: http://theconversation.com/syrian-refugees-in-turkey-are-there-to-stay-at-least-for-now-125176 [Accessed 1 Feb. 2020].
Arafat, H. (2020). Turkey's citizenship for Syrian refugees threatens ethnic balance. [online] Kurdistan24. Available at: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/c9db0bc4-a326-4e36-b1fb-504b745a5b5f/Turkey-s-citizenship-for-Syrian-refugees-threatens-ethnic-balance [Accessed 3 Feb. 2020].
United Nations (2020). Syria emergency. [online] UNHCR. Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/syria-emergency.html [Accessed 4 Feb. 2020].
World Vision. (2020). Syrian refugee crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help World Vision. [online] Available at: https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/syrian-refugee-crisis-facts [Accessed 1 Feb. 2020].
REGARDING TURKEY
Ahmet Yasar, A. (2020). Syrians have had a positive impact on the Turkish economy. [online] Syrians have had a positive impact on the Turkish economy. Available at: https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/syrians-have-had-a-positive-impact-on-the-turkish-economy-26640 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2020].
Esen, O. (2017). The Impact of Syrian Refugees on the Turkish Economy: Regional Labour Market Effects. Social Sciences, 6(4), p.129.
Karasapan, O. (2020). Turkey’s Syrian refugees—the welcome fades. [online] Brookings. Available at: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2019/11/25/turkeys-syrian-refugees-the-welcome-fades/ [Accessed 4 Feb. 2020].
Mahia, R., de Arce, R., Koç, A. and Bölük, G. (2019). The short and long-term impact of Syrian refugees on the Turkish economy: a simulation approach. Turkish Studies, pp.1-23.