The President of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Human Resources Office, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Salim Atay spoke at the “Human Resources Arena” program. Atay stated that they aim to increase the ratio of human resources professionals, which is currently 2 per thousand compared to the overall working population in Türkiye, to 1 percent in 5 years. The Human Resources Arena program was held by the Human Resources Arena program organized by the Human Resources Professional Association in Ankara on April 16, 2024. The President of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Human Resources Office, Salim Atay, the President of TÜRK-İŞ, Ergün Atalay, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Confederation of Employers' Associations (TİSK), Özgür Burak Akkol attended the panel as speakers which titled as "Validating Values of Our Profession" that held within the scope of the program.
Atay highlighted that there are only 32 thousand human resources (HR) professionals despite the fact that there are 481,256 accountants, 255,689 office workers and 133,000 secretaries working in 2 million SMEs.
Atay pointing out that the ratio of the number of human resources professionals to the working population is 2 per thousand in Türkiye while it is 1.7 percent in developed economies, he mentioned that Türkiye needs human resources professionals in order to compete with developed countries and transcend them.
Atay stated that this is a serious and important profession and it is necessary to select the employees who are qualified and have knowledge of modern human resources processes.
"People creates value"
"When discussing the human resources profession, it is essential to adopt an approach that considers our own specific circumstances, our people, our values, our culture, and the geography we live in. Machines produce material value, but more importantly, people produce cultural and social values. As HR professionals, some of you may work in international companies where practices are often transferred from headquarters. However, mere replication is insufficient. Just as we have excelled in producing services, developing products, and innovating concepts globally while honoring our cultural heritage, we must shape a human resources strategy that embodies our social background, cultural richness, and our holistic perspective on human potential."
Atay explained that they have prepared a project in the field of human resources together with TİSK and various ministries, he stated that, “In developed economies, the number of HR professionals is eight times higher than in Türkiye. Over the next five years, our objective is to increase Türkiye's current rate of 2 HR professionals per thousand to one percent.”
Atay emphasized that as the Human Resources Department, they uphold the principle of equal opportunity and prioritize merit in their selection of job applicants.
"While increasing the number of HR professionals, we also need to create our own structure.
Atay emphasized that everyone is a talent in the country, he said ‘’
Stating that every person in every corner of the country is actually a talent, Atay said, "We do not have enough qualified and numerous HR professionals. We need to develop it. We attach great importance to this. While increasing the number of qualified HR professionals, we also need to create our own structure.”
Stating that 60 percent of the young people doing internships in the USA are not paid any wage, Atay mentioned that, "As the government, we forced the minimum wage and those who could not pay the full minimum wage must pay one third of it.have established the minimum wage.”
Last year, we provided internships to 173,000 students. We not only offer internships but also job shadowing opportunities. Young students can participate in job shadowing for two weeks or they can participate in the training programs. The number of internship applications this year was 415,000. We started with 16 thousand applications in 2020, and this year the number increased to 415,000.
“According to TUİK data, the unemployment rate for the 20-24 age group, which was 28 percent in 2019, decreased to 18 percent in 2023. For the first time, we are in a better position than the countries in the Mediterranean Basin. Our economist colleagues have analyzed the impact of initiatives such as Regional Career Fairs and the National Internship Program. Based on our econometric model, 6.1 percentage points of this 10-point drop can be attributed to the effective and efficient implementation of the tools we have developed for early career opportunities.”
TİSK Chairman of the Board of Directors Özgür Burak Akkol also stated that there is a trend of change in the world and that two of these changes are in the fields of humanity and technology.
Pointing out that the changes in these two areas have taken workplaces, employees and naturally human resources to a very different place, Akkol said that while the world is changing rapidly, some procedures in businesses date back 40-50 years. Stating that one should not be afraid of change, and the reactions of young employees to old procedures in their workplaces are a good thing.
Akkol emphasized that human resources is a highly demanding profession, stating, "I perceive human resources primarily as the voice, advocate, and representative of the employee."
TÜRK-İŞ President Ergün Atalay, on the other hand, emphasized the importance of union organization and treating workers correctly and said, “Democracy cannot be firmly established in this country if we degrade workers and undermine the credibility of union employees.”
Uysal Altundağ, President of the Turkish Metal Union, and Mustafa İskifoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Human Resources Professional Association, also attended the program.