Turkey’s hunger threshold for the month of September increased to TL 20,431 ($595), extending its lead over the minimum wage of TL 17,002 ($4,957), according to a report released by the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ).
The labor union’s report put the poverty line for a family of four at TL 66,553 ($1,938), which means an increase of over TL 9,000 ($262) compared to May.
The hunger threshold is defined as the amount of money that a family of four living in the capital city of Ankara needs to spend for healthy and balanced nourishment, while the poverty line adds to that other expenses such as clothing, housing (rent and utilities), transportation, education and healthcare.
The report highlighted the upward trend in food prices, going up 41 percent compared to the same month last year.
The current minimum wage of 17,002 was announced in late December by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. However, this figure fell below the hunger threshold in April and is now almost one quarter of the poverty line.
Turkey is known for its relatively high percentage of the workforce making the minimum wage. Labor unions estimated that roughly half of all workers earn a wage similar to the minimum wage.
The country also has a sizable informal sector, with many people working jobs unofficially.
