New İŞKUR Supports for Interns in 2026: Wage Details and Government Share

In its latest announcement, the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) declared the wage rates and government participation levels for internship programs in 2026. This initiative, part of the extensive "Youth Employment Long Step" (GÜÇ) program, is designed to facilitate graduates' entry into the labor market and provide direct support to small and large businesses [1]. According to this decree, payments to interns are categorized based on educational level and the type of training center.

Intern Wage Details in 2026 According to officially published statistics, the minimum wage paid to interns in 2026 has undergone significant changes. 12th-grade students at Vocational Training Centers (MESEM) working as apprentices in industries will receive a minimum of 14,037.75 Turkish Liras [1]. For other students and pupils participating in companies through mandatory or optional internship programs, the minimum wage has been set at 8,422.65 Liras [2]. These amounts are calculated based on a percentage of the 2026 net minimum wage and aim to cover the basic expenses of students during their practical learning period.

Government Participation and Employer Support To encourage businesses to recruit interns, the Turkish government has assumed a large portion of the wage costs. The level of this support depends on the number of employees in each business unit: - Small Businesses (fewer than 20 employees): The government reimburses two-thirds (66.67%) of the intern's minimum wage to the employer [3]. - Large Businesses (20 or more employees): The government's support share will be equivalent to one-third (33.33%) of the paid wage [1]. A key point in this decree is the 100% support for students at MESEM centers; the government directly provides the entire salary for this category of interns to remove the financial pressure from the industrial sector [1].

GÜÇ Strategic Program and Employment Outlook These supports are provided within the framework of the "Youth Production Era" (GÜÇ) initiative led by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye. The government has allocated a budget of over 27 billion Liras solely for supporting internship programs over the next three years [3]. The ultimate goal of this plan is to prepare more than 800,000 students to enter the labor market by the end of 2028. In addition to wages, the insurance premiums for occupational accidents and diseases for all interns are covered by İŞKUR to ensure the job security of these individuals in industrial environments [2].

How to Benefit from Support Schemes Employers across Türkiye, including in regions like Elazığ with a special focus on industrial development, can apply to recruit interns through the İŞKUR electronic portal [1]. Companies are required to allocate at least 10% of their workforce capacity to interns to benefit from additional tax and insurance incentives. Internship applicants can also register in the "National Internship Program" system to provide their resumes to thousands of approved employers.