The Turkish textile sector has been experiencing weak domestic and export demand, resulting in job losses within the industry. The decline in textile, clothing and footwear sales deepened in February, showed the latest data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).
The sales volume in these sectors shrank by 1 percent monthly and 5.6 percent annually in February, hitting their lowest level since February 2021. In February, the headline retail sales volume index increased by 12.2 percent from the same months of 2024. The textile and apparel industry is also losing ground in exports, primarily due to weak demand in Europe.
Despite the continued increase in input costs domestically, the exchange rate has remained stable for a long time, further exacerbating the industry’s challenges. According to data from the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM), apparel and ready-to-wear exports fell by 7.5 percent in the first quarter of this year, declining to $4.1 billion. This situation is also leading to a decrease in employment in the sector. The textile and ready-to-wear industry ended 2024 with a loss of more than 64,000 jobs.
