8 Most In-Demand Skills in Turkey for 2025

Turkey is focusing on developing industries that require a skilled workforce to achieve the objectives of 2025. The Medium-Term plan is in its initial stage, and Turkey is looking for skilled individuals in the manufacturing, technology, healthcare, and renewable energy domains.

Several initiatives have been introduced by the government to meet this objective, like the creation of 2.3 million additional jobs, yet the need for advanced skills and knowledge remains persistent. 

Key Aspects of Work Culture in Turkey

The work culture in Turkey has been focused on some core values that make the work environment pleasant and workable. 

1. Trust is an Archstone: Turkish business deals are based on the foundation of trust. Whether it's corporate deals or simple new hiring, trust will often play a crucial role in the initiation of them. 

2. Ramadan and Religious Sensitivities: During Ramadan, workplaces adapt to accommodate fasting employees, often shortening work hours. Companies frequently host iftar (fast-breaking) dinners, fostering camaraderie. Non-fasting colleagues typically show respect by avoiding eating openly.

3. Tea (Çay): A Workplace Tradition: Tea holds a significant place in Turkish work culture, serving as more than just a beverage it is a daily ritual. Many offices employ a çaycı (tea server) who ensures a continuous supply of fresh black tea throughout the day. Meetings, negotiations, and informal discussions frequently take place over a shared cup.

Skills In-Demand in Turkey

The goals for 2025 and beyond are mostly related to economic stability and steady growth. Parallelly, the govt. aims to advance in the healthcare and tech-driven sectors that are facing skill gaps:

1. Robotics Engineering Skills

Robotics will play a key role in several industries to improve output quality, including manufacturing, automobile, and agriculture. According to the Medium-Term Plan (2025-27), a skilled workforce is essential for developing and operating smart machinery. However, a shortage of qualified professionals poses a challenge to this initiative.

To bridge this gap, the Turkish government has introduced a three-year flexible work permit, encouraging both native citizens and foreign nationals to contribute to this growing sector. This initiative aims to attract skilled talent and support the country’s advancement in robotics and automation.

2. Cybersecurity Skills

38% of telecom and media companies in Turkey still need to find cybersecurity experts to prevent recurring threats. The advancement of Turkey towards further digitization will need skilled cybersecurity experts who can prevent threats, deploy encryption, and create a safety wall for organizations.

This skill gap is expanding due to the lack of skilled individuals who are well-versed in the latest cybersecurity practices, such as threat detection & response, programming, security patching & vulnerability management and network security. 

3. Healthcare Skills

In 2025, virtual healthcare services will be expanded to the rural areas of Turkey. On the other hand, skilled healthcare professionals who are technically advanced are limited. More such individuals are to be onboarded so that services like virtual consultation, remote diagnosis, and health monitoring can become accessible.

This skill gap can be filled if existing healthcare professionals update their skills and knowledge about compliance and virtual diagnosis procedures. 

4. Renewable Energy Engineering Skills

Building renewable energy sources that generate 120,000 megawatts of electricity is a key objective of Turkey. The government will invest USD $100 billion by 2035 to achieve their goal.

However, the shortage of skilled workforce in this sector has been a rising concern due to the limited number of engineers that can contribute to the design, development, and operation of these renewable energy source panels. A workforce that has organized working specialization in similar projects or is willing to learn and improve can fill this skill gap. 

5. Blockchain Management Skills

Turkey has been advancing towards blockchain participation through investment in real estate and cryptocurrencies. A report by Digwatch reveals that 47 new crypto firms are seeking permission to start their operations in Turkey.

However, due to the limited no. of skilled experts in this domain, the need for blockchain management experts is on the rise. Additionally, formal blockchain education is insufficient for the current industry operations, which is another prominent cause of the skilled workforce shortage in Turkey. 

6. Biotechnology Research Skills

There are 38 biotechnology startups in Turkey, and the industry is facing a collective challenge of inadequately skilled researchers. Turkey aims to be a hub of biopharmaceuticals, contributing to major sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, etc. 

Accordingly, the biotechnology research skills available in Turkey are insufficient and need further expertise in the creation and refining procedure of biotech products. 

7. AI Research Skills

Turkey implemented AI regulations in 2024 as part of its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2021-2025). These regulations seemed insufficient and were not encouraged further.

Additionally, research programs were set to educate aspirants in this field. To achieve the Turkey World Vision 2040, Turkey faces a skill gap in outlining the regulatory laws for AI practitioners, along with new R&D teams for tech-driven startups in Turkey. This skill gap can be filled by improving the AI, and ML skills of the research teams. 

8. Product Management Skills

The medium-term plan (2025-2027) highlights some key industries that will require expert focus, such as construction, AI ML, blockchain, and renewable energy. This creates a rising demand for skilled product managers to collaborate with multiple teams and handle client needs with precision in startups.

Skilled product management in the above-listed industries has been missing due to rapid upgrades in technology and a lack of an educational outline for AI and blockchain. 

How to Improve your Skills for the Turkish Job Market? 

Pursuing expertise or certifications can help you prepare for the Turkish job market in 2025. Here are some prestigious institutions that can be considered to gain the certifications to improve your skills: 

iSMEK Master Training Programme: Established by the Turkish Ministry of National Education, this vocational training program aims to deliver beginner and intermediate education to the participants. The skill highlighted in this program is healthcare. 

Vocational School of Technical Training: ITU: Enroll in the specialized vocational training programs to improve your skills in internet architecture, implementation, and optimization. Get relevant skills and industry insights into the field of programming and cloud infrastructure.  

Vocational School of Health Services, Ankara University: With the broadest selection of specializations, you can enroll in the Medical Laboratory Techniques Program. Getting a dedicated mentorship from professionals is a plus when looking to improve your skills. 

Final Words

The Turkish government has set clear goals for 2025, highlighting the industries that are facing specific skill gaps. It is evident that by 2027, Turkey aims to have multiple mega projects in AI, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, and Biotechnology.

Skill gaps can be filled with the help of instructor-led corporate training programs for multiple teams. Edsteller is a platform to get dedicated corporate training courses so your team can hone their skills with expert-guided programs.

To identify areas of improvement in your team, you can explore the Skill Matrix tool and visualize the progress in real time.