"Turkey Among the World's Best in Skilled Workforce"

Global construction giant Turner Construction President Abrar Sheriff emphasized that Turkey's talent pool is "among the world's best" despite labor shortages in the United States.

Abrar Sheriff, President and Turner International CEO of Turner Construction, one of the world's largest international construction management companies, made significant assessments regarding the construction sector's future during his visit to Turkey, which took place to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary.

Deloitte's Global Construction Strengths report indicates that China-based firms, holding 7 of the top 10 companies by revenue, dominate 51.2% of global revenue. European-based companies rank second, accounting for 22% of global revenue, but hold the largest share with 42 companies in the top 100. Abrar Sheriff noted that Turner continues its global growth by leveraging a USD 40 billion project portfolio in a highly competitive environment. Sheriff particularly pointed out that developed markets such as the United States face major challenges in finding skilled labor in the construction sector, while noting that this global challenge has become an advantage for Turkey.

Abrar Sheriff stated that the global construction market, which had a volume of USD 11.39 trillion in 2024, is projected to reach USD 16.11 trillion by 2030, noting that the main challenge in this large market is finding skilled labor, but Turkey is an exceptional country in this regard. He emphasized that they are prepared for major projects returning in 2026 with the end of the high interest rate environment, backed by Turkey's human resources.

"Behind our successful projects is Turkey's skilled workforce"
Abrar Sheriff made the following comparison regarding Turkey's engineering and workforce quality: "Unfortunately, in the United States we struggle to find enough staff for our projects. The situation in Turkey is quite the opposite. In the projects we advise on, we experience no difficulty in finding personnel. We can find highly competent, excellent talent in Turkey. In fact, on this matter, we transfer Turkish employees to many of our offices around the world, and we also see Turkish workers as blue-collar staff at our job sites with our contractors. The competence of Turkey's human resources adds great strength to our global operations. We are a company that bases its management approach on fundamental principles such as environmental sustainability, resilience, occupational health and safety, and lean construction. We deliver important projects where we provide many advanced-level services such as 3D logistics, VR/AR-supported planning, workflow coordination, 4D scheduling, and facility management, and I can say that behind the success of these projects is Turkey's highly talented and qualified workforce."

Timeline provided for major projects
Sheriff stated that they look to the future with hope thanks to Turkey's strong human resources, expressing his belief that the sector will overcome financial difficulties: "Since global interest rates are high, building residences is currently expensive. However, government-backed sectors such as airports, hospitals, and data centers will continue to grow worldwide. We are confident that Turkey will catch these trends. With declining interest rates, major projects in Turkey will return strongly in 2026 and 2027. We at Turner are following this investment wave with our talented team in Turkey." Sheriff emphasized that investments will only revive with declining interest rates and economic stability, noting that this transformation will further increase employment quality in Turkey.

Mehmet Sami Kılıç, Vice President responsible for Europe and General Manager for Turkey at Turner, which has undertaken management consulting for iconic structures worldwide such as the Istanbul Financial Centre, Ziraat Bank Towers in Turkey, and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, outlined currently active and planning-phase projects regarding Turkey's current project portfolio as follows:

"Our confidence in the Turkish market is complete and we demonstrate this confidence with concrete projects. We are currently managing the Kuwait Turkish building located in the Istanbul Financial Centre. In addition, we are developing a large-scale resort project in Bodrum. We recently began our new training grounds and stadium project with Fenerbahçe Sports Club. An hotel project in Mecidiyeköy in Istanbul and a data centre project for an American firm are among our active works. On the industrial side, we are conducting two different projects with Şişecam and providing consultation on an outlet project under construction at the new airport. Finally, in Izmir, we have started the pre-construction phase of Ziraat GYO's Bayraklı Teras35 project, which covers 435 thousand square meters. These projects are the strongest proof of our permanent presence in Turkey and our commitment to the future."