Source: Banu Demir and Arti Grover, “Do Investments in Digital Infrastructure Improve Employment Outcomes? Evidence from Türkiye,” (policy research working paper 11314, World Bank Group, February 2026).
Commentary: In the 2010s, Turkey undertook a staggered expansion of high-speed fiber broadband Internet across its provinces. In a study by Banu Demir and Arti Grover, the authors assess how this rollout affected employment and wages in the country. They find that access to high-speed Internet increased formal employment and wages, with the greatest effects concentrated in telework-possible positions and among women. Women were more likely than men to transition to teleworkable jobs, as telework reduced friction between formal employment and household responsibilities, increasing their labor force participation. However, only women in high-skilled occupations experienced wage increases. These effects can be generalized across genders, as wage gains were concentrated among all high-skill workers, while low-skill workers benefited only from increased employment. When compared to equal investments in road infrastructure, the authors find that investments in digital infrastructure have a greater impact on female employment and wages. Although road infrastructure does increase market access for women, greater competition from increased mobility offsets these gains, resulting in minimal changes in female employment or wages.
