Workshop on advancing employment data and promoting decent work in the forest sector in Türkiye

Overview

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye, General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) co-organized the workshop titled “Advancing Employment Data and Promoting Decent Work in the Forest Sector in Türkiye. Scientific support for the workshop was provided by the Thünen Institute of Forestry. The workshop brought together some 40 participants from government agencies, including the National Statistical Office, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and other key stakeholders relevant to collection and dissemination of employment statistics or other workforce related issues.

Employment indicators and other labour-related data provide vital information for assessing the socio-economic benefits derived from forests and the forest sector, including the contribution of the forest sector to the labour market and national economy. Even though efforts have been made at global, regional and national levels to compile, disseminate and effectively use high quality and internationally comparable forest-related labour statistics, there are still challenges related to data availability and reliability. The lack of internationally comparable data further complicates the quantification of employment on a regional and global scale (FAO, 2022, Lippe et al., 2022).

In addition to the number of employed persons, data on other labour-related aspects such as working conditions or occupational accidents are also needed to promote coordinated approaches to advance decent work in the sector (see e.g., ILO, 2019; and FAO, ILO & United Nations, 2023). While having a job is not always a panacea for securing a basic standard of living (Burchell et al., 2014), decent and productive jobs can help people to move out of poverty and achieve sustainable livelihoods. To bolster evidence-based policy response towards sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, with full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all in the sector, it is therefore necessary to improve the availability of reliable and internationally comparable data on forest-related employment.

Objectives

The workshop aimed to address the current state of forest-related employment data in Türkiye, the challenges in data collection, reporting of internationally comparable data, measurement approaches, and potential areas for improvement. The workshop also sought to bring together key stakeholders, including tripartite constituents, to share experiences and discuss the status, challenges, and opportunities regarding employment statistics and labour-related data in Türkiye's forest sector by combining theoretical and practical insights and identify pathways for progress. Specifically, the workshop aimed to address the following questions in the context of Türkiye:

1. What data and measurement approaches are currently available in Türkiye for employment indicators and labour-related data that reflect employment and working conditions in the forest sector?
2. What are the primary challenges and limitations in the quality and quantity of employment and labour-related data in the forest sector in Türkiye?
3. What opportunities and best practices exist for collecting and reporting internationally comparable data on employment indicators and labour-related aspects of the forest sector in Türkiye?
4. What key challenges are faced by the government, industry, and communities regarding employment in Türkiye's forest sector, and how effective are current initiatives, if any, in addressing these challenges?

Results

The workshop began with remarks from key representatives. Ms Seren Akbaş, Branch Manager, Department of Foreign Relations, Training & Research, OGM, welcomed workshop participants and introduced a video showing the work and achievements of OGM. Mr Sven Walter, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO, emphasized the relevance of the topic for FAO and described forestry as a cornerstone of the bioeconomy, stressing the critical need for improved data on the  socioeconomic contributions of forestry to support resilient livelihoods and promote decent work opportunities. He commended Türkiye for the remarkable work done to collect data on the forest sector. Mr Bekir Karacabey, Director General, OGM, outlined the three main pillars of Turkey’s forest sector that provide employment opportunities, i.e., OGM, forest industries, including wood, non-wood forest products (NWFP) and forest services, and forest villages. According to Mr Karacabey, the forest sector in Türkiye is a hub of livelihood that can provide decent employment opportunities to youth, women and rural populations, among others and can be considered as an important drover of development and economic growth.

Several insightful presentations followed the introduction. Mr Mehmet Koç Head of Department, Department of Foreign Relations, Training & Research,OGM, presented the wide range of OGM activities that offer employment opportunities in the forest sector in Türkiye. Mr Ozgur Balci, Head of Department, Department of Ecosystem Services, OGM, emphasized increased urbanization, leading to indirect employment.

The global, regional and national perspective on estimating employment in the forest sector was provided by several presentations:

• Ms Yonca Gurbuzer, Statistician at FAO and Ms Rattiya Lippe, Senior Scientific Researcher at the Thünen Institute of Forestry, delivered a presentation titled “Global & regional employment estimates: approach and results”.
• Ms Yasemin Sensoy Elci from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) provided an overview on employment statistics in the forest sector in Türkiye, derived from national Household Labour Force Surveys (LFS).
• Ms Burcu Akca Hacıosmanoglu, Coordinator, ILO, Türkiye, who addressed the key challenges and opportunities in advancing decent work and occupational safety and health (OSH) in the forest sector. She outlined persistent issues such as unsafe working conditions, high levels of informality, restricted union rights, and gender inequality, particularly affecting women and informal workers.
• Mr Erdem Kaplan, Director General of Central Union of Turkish Forestry Cooperatives (ORKOOP) focused on the challenges and solutions related to labor in Türkiye’s Forest sector, particularly in forest villages located in rural areas.
• Mr Goksel Korkmaz, President of the Turkey Forest Products Exporters, Importers and Manufacturers Association (TORID) and member of FAO’s Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI) and Mr Celalettin Akca, President of the National Wood Association (UAB), explored sustainable forestry practices in Türkiye with a focus on employment, climate change, and local development.
• Mr Tarik Durmus, Forestry Expert at the Türkiye Office of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) provided an overview of FSC certification in Türkiye.

During the afternoon session of day 1, the plenary split up in four breakout groups to discuss working conditions in forestry, youth and skills, policy framework and data collection and gaps.

The workshop concluded with remarks from Mr. Sven Walter, FAO, Ms. Akca Haciosmanoglu, ILO, and Mr. Mehmet Koç who provided the closing remarks on behalf of OGM, thanking everyone and noting that the workshop had been very beneficial.