Greece’s jobless rate rose to 27 percent in February from a downwardly revised 26.7 percent in January, the country’s statistics service ELSTAT said on Thursday. It was the highest reading since the statistics service began publishing jobless data in 2006 and more than twice the euro zone’s average reading of 12.1 percent in March, reflecting … Continue reading
The dust is beginning to settle in Athens following the approval of mass layoffs of government workers by the parliament on Sunday. Over 15,000 people face redundancy by the end of next year in a move which overturns the constitutional guarantee for civil servants to have a job for life. The move was was necessary … Continue reading
GREECE cleared an important hurdle in its drive to receive its next batch of bailout loans after international debt inspectors said yesterday that they had reached an agreement over the country’s economic reforms, including the firing of thousands of civil servants. The review by delegates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Commission and European … Continue reading
More than six out of every 10 jobless people in Greece have been out of work for over a year, according to Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data published on Thursday. Fourth-quarter figures for 2012 put the unemployment rate at 26 percent, from 24.8 percent in the previous quarter and 20.7 percent a year earlier. The … Continue reading
Greece is locked in talks with international creditors in Athens about shrinking the government workforce by enough to keep bailout payments flowing. Identifying redundant positions and putting in place a system that will lead to mandatory exits for about 150,000 civil servants by 2015 is a so-called milestone that will determine whether the country gets … Continue reading
Officials say talks this coming week between crash-strapped Greece and its international creditors will focus heavily on the possibility of public sector layoffs. Representatives of the creditors – the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – held preliminary talks with Greek finance officials Sunday but reached no decisions. Three Finance … Continue reading
Children across Europe are being driven into poverty by harsh government austerity and youth unemployment is soaring, threatening to create “lost generations” that could fire up a new continental crisis. Global charity Caritas said on Thursday that around three out of every 10 children in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Spain are in or have … Continue reading
The number youths aged between 15 and 24 out of work in October rose to 56.6pc, compared with 22.1pc in the same month four years ago, statistics service ELSTAT said. Greece’s jobless rate has almost tripled since September 2009 as the country’s debt crisis emerged, and is more than double the average rate in the … Continue reading
Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (HLTOY) said Monday around 1,500 workers took part in its voluntary redundancy plan, enabling the company to reduce operating costs significantly and improve its competitiveness. The company estimates that its costs will be reduced by 80 million euros ($104.5 million) annually. Since the beginning of January, “the number of OTE employees … Continue reading
It doesn’t take a degree in economics to know that unemployment hurts an economy. Would-be workers spend less because they earn less (or nothing), and a country’s financial workings and GDP suffer as a result. That much is easy to see, but many of unemployment’s effects can’t be predicted by textbooks, like the full extent … Continue reading
Greece’s drive to crack down on flagrant tax evaders such as doctors and lawyers is flagging and must be reinvigorated, a report by the European Union and International Monetary Fund said on Monday. Athens has collected just half the tax debts and conducted less than half the audits it was supposed to under the targets … Continue reading
Every month unemployment in Greece breaks a new record! According dat released by Greek Statistics Authority (ELSTAT) for September 2012: unemployment reached 26%, while the data for youth 15-24 years old skyrocketed to 56% – despite the lowering of the minimum wage for this age group down to 510 euro gross per month. Officially, at … Continue reading
In 2007, Spain and Greece had lower unemployment rates than the euro area as a whole. In their article, Thomas Klitgaard and Ayşegül Şahin “show that while the unemployment rates in the two countries are similar today, the paths have been very different.” (Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor to follow) The employment decline in Greece, like … Continue reading
The Greek government and financial markets were cheered on Tuesday by an agreement between euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund to reduce Greece’s debt, paving the way for the release of urgently needed aid loans. The deal, clinched at the third attempt after weeks of wrangling, removes the biggest risk of a … Continue reading
The IMF has apologized for a mistaken email demanding Greece dismisses thousands more civil servants than the earlier agreed lay off of 27,000 employees. The letter spurred concerns in the government that more layoffs will be demanded. The email arrived at the Greek Ministry of Finance from the IMF Representative in Athens Bob Traa before … Continue reading