Kırşehir Ahi Evran University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and the Economics and Management Club organized a conference on “The Impact of Informal Employment on Working Life” on October 7, 2025, at the Neşet Ertaş Hall of the Ahi Evran Congress and Culture Center. The event was attended by Kırşehir Provincial Director of Social Security Hasan Hüseyin Şenlik, Deputy Provincial Director of Social Security Dilara Burak, Economics and Management Club Advisor Prof. Dr. Oktay Kızılkaya, academic and administrative staff, and a large number of students.

The opening speech was given by Prof. Dr. Oktay Kızılkaya, advisor of the Economics and Management Student Club. He began his speech by focusing on one of the most felt yet least discussed issues in working life: Informal employment, a major problem in our country. Kızılkaya emphasized that when we think of informal employment, we tend to focus on numbers, but at its core, it’s about people, labor, life, and the future. Social security is not just about paychecks, but about ensuring people’s futures. He concluded by saying that it is valuable to discuss this issue from both economic and human perspectives, and then handed over to the other speakers.

Speaking at the conference, Kırşehir Provincial Director of Social Security Hasan Hüseyin Şenlik addressed the audience, emphasizing that informal employment is a fundamental problem affecting both the social and economic structures of countries, regardless of their development. He noted that while the short-term effects of informal employment can appear beneficial by increasing prosperity, its negative consequences, such as the erosion of social ethics, become apparent only in the long term. However, he expressed that informal employment is becoming an increasingly severe problem for both Türkiye and other countries, especially as its negative impacts come to light. Şenlik pointed out that nearly half of the employment in Türkiye is informal, which continues to hinder the country’s social, cultural, and economic progress. He concluded by stating that tackling informal employment should be a top priority, and that the purpose of this study is to examine the underlying social, cultural, economic, and public causes of informal employment in Türkiye and propose solutions based on current practices and research.

In the final part of the conference, Deputy Provincial Director of Social Security Dilara Burak took the floor and noted that informal employment leads to increased public deficits and debt. She added that it also fuels inflation, reduces production, exports, and investment, causes brain drain, increases unemployment, decreases competitiveness, weakens the union system, results in inefficient and low-quality production, narrows social security coverage, and worsens occupational health conditions.
The conference concluded with the presentation of certificates of appreciation to the speakers and a commemorative photo session.