ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the most important aspects of the impact of Turkish worker migration to Europe in an attempt to evaluate the phenomenon predominantly from an economic standpoint. It describes the main characteristics of the Turkish migrant worker and summarizes the effects of migration on the migrant and his family. The chapter examines direct and indirect macro effects of migration on the domestic labor market with special reference to the demand for labor and to demographic variables. It analyses the loss of skills to the economy and tries to identify the sectors most affected. The decline in the average participation rate for the age group 15–64 continued throughout the decade, reaching 59 percent in 1980, as compared with 66 percent in 1975. The chapter presents demand-creation and balance of payments effects and explains the future implications of labor migration for the Turkish economy.
