The effectiveness of inspections in combating informal employment: The case of Ankara

Although unregistered employment is one of the leading problems of our country, official data show that the rate of unregistered employment has decreased over the years. Different practices are developed in the fight against unregistered employment and guidance activities informing employers and insured persons are prioritized. The most effective method in combating unregistered employment is supervision. In this study, in order to reduce the rate of unregistered employment, the thoughts, opinions and suggestions of Social Security Supervisors, who perform supervision duties in the field in the fight against unregistered employment, were consulted. It is aimed to provide guidance to the administrative and academic circles regarding the studies, regulations and methods that can be made regarding the effectiveness of audits. In the first part of the study, the informal economy and informal employment are theoretically discussed, in the second part, methods of combating informal employment are explained, and informal employment rates are shared and evaluated by years. In the third section, interviews were conducted with 10 Social Security Supervisors performing auditing duties within the Ankara Provincial Directorate of Social Security, analyzed and evaluated in the light of the data obtained. The study was based on case study design, one of the qualitative research methods. Data were collected through document analysis and interviews, which are frequently preferred in qualitative research methods. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the interviews. The answers given by the participant Social Security Supervisors regarding the effectiveness of inspections in combating unregistered employment have been analyzed and many recommendations, suggestions, ideas and data that will contribute to the improvement of the current situation have emerged and are evaluated in detail in the conclusion section. As a result, it is concluded that inspections are effective in combating unregistered employment, but not sufficient.