Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vocational School of Health Services SHMYO, in the event organized by the Social Security Program, moderated by Üsküdar Üniversitesi SHMYO, Social Security Program Lecturer Sıla Meltem Arman, Consulta Business and Social Security Legislation Consulting Services Managing Partner Dr. Eray Karagöz, who was a speaker at the event, made evaluations on working conditions, job and career opportunities in the social security program.
Dr. Eray Karagöz “Social security is not just for the public; it contains all the questions we encounter in our daily lives. We are currently living through a pandemic. Even free access to vaccines under general health insurance is a part of social security. When we consider the topics of social security, such as short-term and long-term unemployment insurance, the vaccination event also becomes a part of this general health insurance. The reports written by contact tracing teams visiting homes related to positive Covid cases, and the incapacity benefits received by employees based on these reports, are also part of short-term insurance utilization. In other words, the phenomenon we call Social Security is actually composed of a whole of pieces that touch human communities in Turkey and around the world.” he said.
“You can use the skills you learn in the field of Social Security in different areas”
Dr. Eray Karagöz also provided important information on what kind of jobs can be done in the private sector, apart from the public sector, in the field of Social Security: “The first units where we apply these practices in the private sector are called human resources units. The human resources unit is directly related to the social security field. In all items, such as the calculation of wages, two of the four fundamental legal deductions applied in Turkey actually constitute social security items. These two items are Social Security Premium and unemployment insurance. In the payroll unit within human resources, you can easily use the skills you learn here and develop them to focus on human resources and other different areas. Our second area is related to the consulting sector. Consulting companies also provide various guidance to employers or our employees in insurance-based companies.” he stated.
“Social Security practices in Turkey are quite complex”
Dr. Eray Karagöz drew attention to the fact that social security practices in Turkey are quite dense and complex compared to a simple structure: “Even if you receive education at an associate degree level, and perhaps even a bachelor's or master's degree, there are qualified practices you will never learn or see. Existing circulars and communiqués are all regulatory provisions of the social security system, and it is necessary to master them. It will be suitable for our friends who love law and want to assist in the consulting field. You might say, I will focus on the consulting field. Thus, these people will work in retirement. The retirement system is about approaching it with a global perspective worldwide. Or, for example, you might say, I don't want to work in the retirement field, but I will work on the insurance premium incentive aspects related to social security. In this area, you will have the opportunity to develop yourself and advance in a very specialized field. I have also worked on social security throughout my life. I researched the impact of legal regulations regarding women in working life on employment. Each of these is very closely related to social security.” he said.
“It is necessary to look at Social Security with a broad perspective”
Emphasizing that it is always necessary to look at social security from a broad perspective to understand its future position, Dr. Eray Karagöz also conveyed what qualities individuals to be employed in the field should possess:
“You need to ponder on the development of social security in Turkey and where it is headed. For example, if you can interpret the technical principle of insurance in an integrated way with the world, you will be very successful in this field. Therefore, the system we call social security is not just a single department; it is a set of rules and practices that ensure solidarity throughout our lives and future, as long as there are people. The system we call Social Security is based on research and following legal regulations; thus, it is related to individuals who love law, are interested in it, and enjoy drafting legislation and carrying out procedures. Knowing what social security means, for example, knowing that an employee receives what we call an incapacity benefit (report money) when they get a sick leave report, is a fundamental condition for us. Our typical questions are: What is an incapacity benefit? What is a wage? We create employment areas based on these fundamental questions and the individual's basic structure.” he said.
“If you aim to advance in this field, you need to determine your habits well”
Underlining that habits must be well-defined for students planning to work long-term and advance in the Social Security field, Dr. Eray Karagöz said: “If you say I will advance in this field, I will do jobs related to working life, work in human resources, financial consultancy offices, and do jobs like consulting, your first priority is your habits. Every morning when you wake up, just as you check Instagram, you should check the official gazette. When you prioritize the official gazette, you will realize that you are constantly informed. Second, there is the legislation tracking system on the Social Security Institution's own website. In this legislation tracking system, you can see general articles and circulars. However, these details might seem overwhelming if you haven't worked in this field for many years. You can follow people interested in this field on LinkedIn for their interpretations. This way, you will feel constantly updated. In fact, after a while, you will start noticing some deficiencies yourself.” he stated.