Despite Job Gains, Greece Struggles with Low Wages and High Unemployment

09:20 3/7/2025 - Πηγή: Dikaiologitika

Greece continues to grapple with one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union, even as it makes notable progress in reducing joblessness.

According to Eurostat data from May 2025, the unemployment rate in Greece has fallen to 7.9%, down from 8.3% the previous month and significantly lower than the 10.5% recorded in May 2024. This marks the

steepest year-on-year decline in recent memory and suggests that the Greek economy is gradually stabilizing and beginning to generate more employment opportunities.

Despite this improvement, Greece still ranks fourth in the EU for unemployment and third within the eurozone. Its 7.9% rate remains well above the euro area average of 6.3% and the broader EU average of 5.9%. Only Spain, Sweden, and Latvia report higher levels of joblessness. Youth unemployment in Greece remains particularly troubling. Although it has dropped from 25.2% in May 2024 to 19.9% this year, it continues to rank among the highest in Europe. The persistent difficulty young people face in entering the labor market raises serious concerns for the country’s long-term growth and social stability.

In absolute terms, about 370,000 people were seeking work in Greece this past May, compared to nearly half a million one year earlier. This roughly 26% reduction points to a labor market that is slowly gaining momentum. However, many of the new jobs being created are part-time or offered under short-term contracts, reflecting a job market that remains precarious.

Adding to the complexity of the Greek labor landscape is the issue of wages. Greece has the second-lowest average wages in the European Union, ahead of only Bulgaria. This creates a striking contradiction: high unemployment persists alongside extremely low pay. As inflation and rising living costs increase pressure for wage hikes, a critical question looms over the country’s economic future—can businesses afford to raise wages without reversing employment gains?

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