You Got Laid Off - Not a Shame, Something to Calculate
"It's Not About Performance"
You get the layoff news in a meeting. HR, sometimes your manager, sometimes both at the table. The sentences are usually the same: "company restructuring," "your role is no longer needed," or "this is not about performance." These sentences are usually true, but they're not easy to hear.
Layoff is not something to be ashamed of; it's something to calculate. In Türkiye's software sector over the past two years, layoff waves have hit many developers, and the vast majority lost their jobs not due to performance but due to macro conditions, AI pressure, investment contraction, and funding crunch.
This article covers what to do during and after a layoff. Legal, financial calculation, sector outlook, and the psychological piece. According to getSalary 2026 data, the median developer salary is 132,500 TL; the longer your post-layoff job hunt takes, the more your savings at this rate are your only defense.
The Clear Part of the Legal Picture: Severance and Notice
Under Türkiye's Labor Law, when an employer terminates an employee outside specific just causes, severance and notice indemnity must be paid. 95% of layoff scenarios in software fall on this side.
Severance Pay
If you've worked at the company for over 1 year, you earn 30 days of gross salary in severance for each year. There's an annual cap on severance (around 41,000 TL/month in 2026) - if you earn above the cap, the cap is used in calculation, not your real salary.
Practical example: A 4-year employee earning an average of 130,000 TL gross salary in the last 6 months: the calculation uses the 41,000 TL cap → 41,000 × 4 = 164,000 TL in severance. Tax-free, no income tax.
Notice Pay
Based on tenure, the employer must give you advance notice. If they don't, they must pay the equivalent as compensation:
- Up to 6 months: 2 weeks
- 6 months to 1.5 years: 4 weeks
- 1.5 to 3 years: 6 weeks
- 3+ years: 8 weeks
Notice pay is calculated on gross salary and income tax is withheld. So 8 weeks of notice on 130,000 TL gross equals ~240,000 TL gross, which becomes ~170,000 TL net (approximate).
Unused Annual Leave
Annual leave you didn't use is paid out at the layoff moment. Calculated on gross salary; tax withheld.
Practical advice: Don't sign the "release form" (ibraname) HR gives you without reading. If it includes "I have received all my rights, I claim no further," do the math in your head first. A miscalculated severance is hard to recover after you've signed the release form.
Unemployment Benefits: The Right Most Developers Skip
Most developers don't apply for unemployment when laid off, thinking "they pay too little anyway." That's true, but it's still a right you have.
Conditions for unemployment benefit:
- 600+ days of premiums in the last 3 years
- Continuous premiums in the last 120 days
- Layoff must not be voluntary (termination, not resignation)
As of 2026, unemployment benefit is 40% of the gross average of the last 4 months (minimum around 11,000-12,000 TL/month, upper cap ~25,000 TL/month), and the duration is 6, 8, or 10 months depending on how long you worked.
Plus, health insurance continues during the unemployment benefit period. Since SGK isn't deducted, you don't pay treatment costs out of pocket, and this part is often more valuable than the benefit itself.
Application: Within 30 days of the layoff, in person at İŞKUR or via e-Devlet. Late application drops part of your rights.
The Sector's Boom-Bust Cycle: Where We Are Now
Three waves have hit developers in Türkiye since 2024:
Wave 1 (early 2024): Foreign remote contraction. US/EU companies shrunk teams in Türkiye. AI pivot and cost pressure.
Wave 2 (mid-2025): Mid-large domestic tech. Group-based layoffs at companies the size of Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Getir. Reasons: market growth slowdown and efficiency pressure from AI.
Wave 3 (early 2026): Early-stage startups. 10-50 person companies cut teams in half due to funding contraction.
Good news: by mid-2026, some signs point to recovery. Open positions for Mid/Senior have increased 30-40% from the 2025 trough. Junior side is still hard; AI displacing junior tasks is a real pressure.
After your layoff, panic-driven decisions in the first week are usually wrong. Don't accept the first offer or get bitter at the first rejection. Understand the current rhythm: job search takes 2-4 months for Mid/Senior and has stretched to 4-8 months for junior.
Before the Layoff: Preparation by the Aware Developer
This section is for those still employed, not those reading post-layoff. If you're not jobless at the bottom of an economic cycle, here's how to be ready for the next wave.
1. Liquid savings: 3-6 months
Calculate your monthly net expenses, hold at least 3 times that in liquid savings. Not investment, insurance. Not in the stock market or crypto, in deposits or short-term government bonds.
2. Active network
You can keep connections warm without openly saying "I'm looking." Send 2-3 messages a month, say hi to an old teammate, or leave a comment on a new technical topic. At layoff time, your "who can help me" list should be at least 10 people.
3. Updated CV and LinkedIn
Most developers only update their CV when job hunting, which is wrong. Once a month, add the latest project, achievement, or skill. Filtering an existing fresh CV in 30 minutes at layoff time is healthier than writing one from scratch in 3 hours.
4. Side income or backup skill
Being tied to a single technology or company is a risk. Side projects, open source contributions, blog writing, and occasional freelance hours all open alternative income paths. When you need extra time post-layoff, these are doors.
After the Layoff: First 30 Days
First week:
- Get formal documents from HR: termination letter, release form, payslip, work history.
- Apply to İŞKUR within 30 days.
- Check health insurance: continues through unemployment benefit period.
Second week:
- Update CV, set LinkedIn to "open to work."
- Send a short, honest message to 5-10 important people: "I was laid off, looking for a new role in [area]. Pass it on if you know of anything."
- Connect with 1-2 recruiters. Filter active ones in the sector via LinkedIn.
Third-fourth week:
- Plan the next 60-90 days: which companies you'll apply to, interview prep, which technical skill to refresh.
- Set your salary expectation. The salary guide and getSalary's median are your data-driven baseline.
The first 30 days swings between panic and laziness, and falling into either is easy. The fix: a small daily routine. Wake at 8, submit 2-3 applications, do interview prep, and spend your evening with family and friends. Unemployment isn't a vacation, but it isn't a forced workday either; keep structure.
Caution About New Offers
Pressure to accept the first offer post-layoff is high, especially after 2-3 months; but consider these points:
- Don't drop salary too far: A job accepted in panic at 30% lower lays the floor for years, and the next company's "what were you making?" shapes your decision.
- Check company health: The same sector cycle hits them too, and getting laid off again 6 months later hurts twice as much. Ask about company size, funding, and recent hire/fire trends.
- Contract terms: Some companies start with "6-month probation," where notice indemnity drops. Sign with that knowledge.
The Psychological Part
Layoff is usually read as "you weren't enough," but in fact it's the output of macro conditions and the company's decision. This reading shift is simple but critical: someone who sees themselves as inadequate and searches for 6 months finds work at a different pace than someone who says "the company shrunk, I'm not bad."
Ask for help from former managers and former teammates. They know you were laid off and most genuinely want to support you. Asking "do you know anyone?" isn't a loss of pride; it's using your network.
The burnout article touches on the post-layoff mental state - if you notice you're not okay during this process, getting professional help isn't weakness, it's a practical decision.
Conclusion: The Layoff Was an Accident, Not Your Fault
A developer laid off at the bottom of a sector cycle enters different conditions than one laid off at the peak, but you have legal rights, financial tools, and a network. Use all of them.
In one sentence: "Getting laid off is losing your role, not your identity. Mixing the two prolongs the process."