Pulse Survey: Turkey Inflation and Compensation

Vencon Research’s 2022 Pulse Survey provides an insight into the effects of currency devaluation and inflationary pressures in Turkey. The survey results highlight the challenges faced by firms in Turkey in retaining their employees, and the measures they are taking to address the financial hardship faced by their employees.

1. CHALLENGES IN RETAINING EMPLOYEES

The study revealed that firms in Turkey are facing challenges in retaining employees, with a significant increase in voluntary attrition. As a result, 67% of firms surveyed have increased their hiring efforts. Despite this, half of the firms reported that their employees are experiencing financial hardship.

What is your firm’s current situation regarding your workforce in Turkey?

2. RESPONSES FROM CONSULTING FIRMS

To address the issue, all firms reported adjusting their compensation structure in the last 12 months, with 67% of them attributing this to both inflation and currency devaluation.

The adjustments were made for all types of employment contracts, with two-thirds of firms adjusting based on job role, function, and/or career level.

Measures taken to combat inflation and currency devaluation included increasing base salary, offering one-off or multiple payments, and increasing bonus/variable pay. Interestingly, only 17% of firms used "pegging" of compensation to a foreign currency.

If you adjusted compensation or offered extra payments in the last 12 months due to inflation and/or currency devaluation, what did you offer to your employees?

3. DRIVERS OF COMPENSATION DECISIONS

The most critical factors driving compensation were the cost of labour and inflation, with other contributing factors including cost of living expenses, fluctuations in exchange rates, and attrition rates.

About 50%of the firms were unable to make predictions about the anticipated situation in the next 12 months in Turkey. However, most firms are planning to make changes to their compensation model in the coming year.

Half of the firms plan to raise the base salary by over 20%, one-fourth plans to boost the bonus by 20%, and another quarter plans to raise the bonus by 11% to 20%.

Which factors, criteria and the like influence your decisions with regards to any adjustments in compensation and/or extra payments and the like due to inflation and/or currency devaluation?

4. INDUSTRY REMAINS PROACTIVE

In conclusion, the survey shows that businesses in Turkey are taking proactive measures to retain employees and address their financial hardship in light of inflation and currency devaluation. It also highlights the need for firms to review their compensation structure more frequently than the typical once-per-year review, and plan changes to address the challenges of inflation and currency devaluation.

Do you plan or expect any changes to your current practices regarding payment, payment structure?

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