An analysis on the participation of Syrians under temporary protection in the Turkish economy and the integration process: The case of İzmir province

In today's globalized world, mass migration movements being occurred in many continents have increased in recent years because of different reasons. Arab Spring, which began towards the end of 2010 in the Middle East, has caused serious chaos and conflicts in the dictator countries, so this conflictual atmosphere has created a serious wave of immigration from Syria towards Turkey since 2011. In this study, it was aimed to analyse the economic problems of Syrians, who migrated to İzmir after 2011 and were given "temporary protection" by Turkish Government, as well as to reveal whether their employee personnel rights are good enough or not and whether they are exposed to labor exploitation or not. In this context, it has been aimed to determine the permanence of Syrians living in the province of İzmir in the economic markets after immigration, to analyze the economic situation, perceptions and satisfaction levels of Syrians in the context of integration theories. Apart from that, it has been supposed to analyse the employment areas created by local actors and private sectors for Syrians, and to determine working conditions and rights of Syrians working in economic markets. In addition to that, it has been aimed to determine how much Syrians are exposed to labor exploitation by measuring the rate of shadow employments of Syrian workers in İzmir, so it has been supposed to offer solutions to local actors and decision makers in order to find out the applicability of work permit directives in İzmir. During the thesis process, face-to-face interviews were made with Syrian business owners who established companies in İzmir and their position in economic employment markets was learnt at first hand. In addition, face-to-face interviews were held with State-based organizations and non-governmental organizations that support Syrians in Izmir, and the economic conditions of Syrians were determined through the eyes of local actors. In this context, the study will contribute to the literature in terms of drawing a reliable picture by considering economic integration not only one-sided, but also two-sides.