About Us

About Us

The Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations was established in 2008 within the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Akdeniz University. The Department began admitting undergraduate students in 2009, launched its Master’s Program with Thesis in 2013, and initiated its Ph.D. Program in 2018. Academic instruction is provided across four divisions: Labour Economics, Management and Sociology of Work, Management and Psychology of Work, and Social Policy.

The academic function of every field of study is inherently linked to a defined societal need. The fundamental societal need that constitutes the very foundation of the discipline of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations is the identification and examination of social risks and social problems, and the development of policy-oriented solutions aimed at mitigating and managing these issues.

The central focus of the Department is the individual within working life, with particular emphasis on wage earners. Considering that wage earners—together with their families—constitute the majority of society as citizens, voters, and consumers, the social and academic significance of the issues addressed by the Department becomes evident. In line with this focus, the primary areas of study within the discipline include employment and unemployment; working environments and conditions; occupational health and safety; wages; productivity; trade unions; poverty; income distribution; labour legislations; and social rights, particularly in the areas of education, health, and social security.

The challenges encountered in entering the labour market—especially the effective vocational guidance of young people entering the market for the first time—the protection, optimal utilization, and development of human resources, as well as social policy arrangements concerning temporary or permanent withdrawal from the labour market, constitute the Department’s core areas of interest. Issues and needs arising from the specific profiles of women, children, and persons with disabilities in working life also fall within the scope of the discipline.

The rapid, multidimensional, and profound socio-economic transformations brought about by globalization, together with the intensification of longstanding social problems and the emergence of new ones, have further increased the importance of both knowledge production and the training of qualified experts in our field.

Content of The Education

The Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations primarily examines working life and industrial relations within a framework specific to the discipline, while benefiting from the accumulated knowledge of various social science fields, including social policy, law, economics, sociology, psychology, and political science. In accordance with this interdisciplinary perspective, the academic curriculum is designed to provide both theoretical instruction and specialized expertise.

During the first two years of study, students primarily take general and foundational courses common to other departments within Faculties of Economics and Administrative Sciences. In the third and fourth years, the curriculum includes specialized courses such as social policy; labour economics; the economic and social functions and history of trade unions; labor law and social security; the structure and functions of civil society organizations and international organizations; income and wealth distribution; wages; urbanization and housing policies; the economic and social structure of Türkiye; sociology and psychology of work. In addition, the Department places particular emphasis on research and instruction in the fields of working life, social security, trade unionism, and collective bargaining, utilizing the analytical methods of sociology and law.

Programme Learning Outcomes