The Turkish construction industry has achieved rapid growth since the 2000s. The sectorplays a significant role for the national economy due to its contribution to job creation,industrialization and economic growth. However, the sector has been widely criticizedbecause of heavy work conditions and high rates of work accidents. The constructionindustry generally grows faster than GDP in expansion periods and shrinks more duringthe crisis years. While these fluctuations make the construction industry more unstable,they also affect its employees more negatively than the general economic course duringrecessions in construction activities. Improving work conditions do not gain priorityin a sectoral structure where small and medium-sized companies, subcontractors andcontracting services are predominant. On the contrary, the existing structure negativelyaffects the work conditions and occupational health and safety in many respects. Withthe growth of the construction sector, while employment rates increase, the rates ofoccupational accidents, occupational diseases, permanent incapacity and death also goup. Dissatisfaction of the construction workers with the profession and the low prestigeattributed to this line of work lead to high labor turnover rates across the sector. Thewidespread seasonal work in the construction sector as well as the employment ofdomestic and foreign migrant workers further lower down the labor standards. To fulfilits role in the development of Turkey sustainably and more importantly, to become adecent work area that values human rights, the construction industry needs to providea more secure and safer work environment. Given the job and social insecurities andthe low education of the workforce in general, the sector becomes trapped in a viciouscycle of low skill-low productivity, failing to initiate a sustainable growth pattern basedon high value-added production. The sector will continue to show high sensitivity inthe face of crises without raising the current work conditions to certain standardsthrough an institutional restructuring. This study aims to identify problems regarding the existent work standards in the Turkish construction sector and to develop policyrecommendations for improvement. To this end, in light of the findings obtained fromthe literature review, an overall assessment of the construction sector and the workconditions is made based on a descriptive analysis of secondary data at sector and firmlevels that cover the post-2000 period. In the analysis, data from the Turkish RepublicPresidency Strategy and Budget Directorate, TURKSTAT, CBRT and SGK are used. Policyrecommendations for improving the workplace standards are developed to enhancethe health, skill and job satisfaction of the workers and to achieve a sustainable growthpath in the sector.