Ankararuns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Government & public administration
Every ministry, the Grand National Assembly, the central regulators
The single biggest employer in the city — the entire Turkish civil service is headquartered here, and it shapes rents, traffic and the working day.
Defence & aerospace
ASELSAN, TUSAŞ/TAI, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN, MKE
Türkiye's defence-industrial cluster is concentrated in Ankara — electronics, aircraft, missiles and simulation, mostly around Akyurt, Kahramankazan and the OSTİM belt.
Software & R&D
ODTÜ Teknokent, Bilkent Cyberpark, Hacettepe Teknokent
Three university technology-development zones, where R&D and software salaries carry an income-tax exemption under Law No. 4691 — the main reason engineers stay in Ankara rather than moving to Istanbul.
Higher education & research
ODTÜ (METU), Bilkent, Hacettepe, Ankara Üniversitesi, Gazi, TÜBİTAK
One of the densest concentrations of research universities in the region — ODTÜ and Bilkent both teach entirely in English, which is why so many academic arrivals land here.
Diplomacy & international organisations
~130 embassies, UN agencies, development banks
Every foreign mission in Türkiye is in Ankara (consulates are in Istanbul and İzmir), creating a steady international community concentrated in Gaziosmanpaşa and Çankaya.
Machinery & light manufacturing
OSTİM OSB, İvedik OSB, Sincan OSB
OSTİM alone hosts thousands of small and mid-sized engineering firms — machining, defence subcontracting, medical devices — and is the industrial counterweight to the ministries.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.