We have at least a year ahead of us when things will be difficult across Europe, said the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs at the Invest GR Forum
“Despite the acuteness of the problems, unemployment continues to fall, investment continues to grow and estimates for the prospects of the Greek economy remain more positive than those for almost all other EU countries. This means that we must continue in the same pro-investment, modern and European way to get results. We have only managed crises in the past three years. We have no doubt that ahead of us we have at least one more year when things will be difficult both here and in the other EU countries, but we are a government for the difficult.” This was pointed out by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakisspeaking today at 5th Invest GR Forum with the theme “A new Greece emerges”.
Mr. Hatzidakis recalled that despite the difficulties of the ten-year economic crisis, the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis and Turkey’s ongoing provocation, 2021 closed with strong growth of 8.3%, which continued in 1 quarter of 2022, reaching 7% with the main drivers being the rewarming of household consumption, investment and exports. At the same time, he pointed out, unemployment decreased from the 17.3% we received in the summer of 2019 to 12.5% ​​last April. All this, he said, is a result of the government’s overall economic policy: “The tax policy that reduced taxes and made Greece an attractive investment destination. The fiscal policy that restored international confidence in our country and leads us to an exit from the enhanced supervision and recovery of the investment grade. The licensing policy that made it simpler to open a business in our country, contributing to the creation of new jobs. The modernization reforms in the Environment and Education. The promotion of privatizations. The digital modernization of the state! And, of course, the labor and insurance policies, which from their side also contributed to the result so far”.
THE Minister of Labor and Social Affairs he also announced the announcement of the first DYPA training program financed by the Recovery Fund will start in a few days. It is a training program in skills where companies have a shortage of personnel, such as digital trade, logistics, digital marketing, but also the energy upgrade of facilities and green entrepreneurship, with a budget of 100 million euros for 80,000 beneficiaries.
As he mentioned, the training and retraining programs for workers and the unemployed who have joined the Recovery Fund with funds amounting to 1 billion euros aim for 500,000 beneficiaries to have received a certificate of completion of a training program by the end of 2025.
“The government”, concluded Mr. Hatzidakis, “is determined to continue on a modern and European path. A road of common sense. The difficulties we are all discussing both in Greece and abroad in recent months must make us more stubborn and more efficient! We are determined to fight the battle, not with big words and slogans but with a system and not forgetting that the only way to keep Greece on the right path is the investments that open new jobs, to find work especially for young children and to acquire in this way a permanent, stable perspective our homeland. That’s what we did, that’s what we’ll continue to do from now on.”
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