Turkey: Recruitment and selection

Original and updating authors: Batuhan Sahmay and Özlem Özdemir

See the legal services provided by the author of International > Turkey, including any discounts/offers for subscribers.

Summary

• It is a criminal offence for an employer to discriminate in recruitment and selection on grounds of race, language, nationality, colour, sex, disability, political ideas, philosophical beliefs, or religion or sect. (See Discrimination)
• Job advertisements must not be discriminatory on the grounds prohibited by criminal law, but are otherwise not regulated by statute. (See Advertising vacancies)
• An employer must not request any information from a job applicant other than information related to the potential employment. (See Selection)
• Job offers are not subject to specific statutory regulation. (See Job offers)
• The minimum age for employment is generally 15 years (although with some exceptions) and the employment of individuals under the age of 18 is subject to various special rules and restrictions. (See Young people and children)
• Foreign nationals must generally obtain a work permit before starting work in Turkey. (See Foreign nationals)
• In private-sector establishments with 50 or more employees, the employer must ensure that at least 3% of employees are people with disabilities. (See Employment quota for people with disabilities)
• Employers must observe various formalities on recruitment, such as registering employees with the public Social Security Institution and providing health and safety training. (See Formalities)