Over 650,000 workers left without income after earthquakes: ILO

The earthquakes in Turkey have left more than 658,000 workers unable to earn their living, International Labor Organization (ILO) said on Tuesday.

According to ILO estimates, the crisis that emerged in the course of the disaster is likely to have reduced labor income by around $150 million per month in the earthquake region.

Over 50,000 fatalities have been reported so far after the earthquakes on 6 February, and millions have been rendered homeless with an estimated exodus of nearly three million survivors from quake hit provinces.

The 11 devastated provinces in the earthquake zone were home to a total population of 14 million, and according to ILO data to more than four million workers, most of whom work in agriculture, manufacturing, trade or other low-value-added services.

In the province of Malatya 58.8% of work hours are estimated to have been lost, while in Adiyaman the figure is 48.1%, and in Hatay it is more than 45.2%.

"Employment promotion is central to a successful and inclusive response to this disaster," ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo said. "People can only begin to rebuild their lives if they have rebuilt their livelihoods. We owe it to those who have lost so much in the earthquake to ensure that the principles of social justice and decent work are firmly embedded in the recovery and reconstruction process."

In Syria, where 12 years of civil war had already taken a devastating toll on the economy and labor market, it has been assessed that around 170,000 workers have lost their jobs as a result of the earthquakes. This has directly affected around 154,000 households and more than 725,000 people.