The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis, made the following statement:

“The government is honoring the anniversary of Labor Day with the work of the last four years. With the most important achievement being the reduction of the number of unemployed by 300,000, from 825,000 in June 2019 to 526,000 in February 2023 and the unemployment rate from the 17.5% we received, to 11.4%.

It is no coincidence that in recent months, the public debate has been increasingly discussing the difficulty of some companies in finding workers and the subsequent improvement of wages in order to meet the needs of the market.

In addition to the reduction of unemployment, in the last 4 years:

  • The minimum wage has increased three times, from 650 euros in 2019 to 663 euros in January 2022, 713 euros in May 2022 and 780 euros from April 2023. Cumulatively, the increase is 20%.
  • Insurance contributions were reduced by 4.4 percentage points.
  • The application of the Digital Labor Card has begun in banks, supermarkets, insurance and security companies, it is about to be applied in DEKO and after the elections it will be extended to industry, catering and tourism. The application of the Digital Card creates the conditions for a further reduction of insurance contributions as it increases the insurance material.
  • New work-life balance leaves adopted: extension of private sector maternity leave and allowance from 6 to 9 months, 14 days paternity leave, 4 months parental leave, carer’s leave, right to flexible arrangements for parents and carers etc.

The Labor Protection Act was passed, which provides, among other things:

  • Right to disconnect from telecommuting.
  • Health and safety obligations for digital platforms.
  • Measures to prevent, limit and address the risks of violence and harassment at work.
  • Trade union rights for delivery workers, establishing an obligation for digital platforms to cover the costs of protective equipment and the same welfare, health and safety obligations as workers with dependent labor contracts.
  • Increase severance pay for tradespeople to the level applicable to employees.
  • SEPE was upgraded to an Independent Labor Inspection Authority and strengthened with modern equipment for immediate, objective and transparent inspections.
  • New initiatives have been put in place to support the unemployed, such as the work allowance for subsidized unemployed people who find work and the €300 bonus for the long-term unemployed to draw up a digital individual action plan, which has already been paid to 65,000 unemployed people.
  • The rate of recruitment through the DYPA programs more than quadrupled (+372%), from 762 per month in 2019 to 2,841 in 2023 and a total of 125,000 new jobs were created in 3.5 years
  • Collaborations were launched with international giants in the field of training (GOOGLE, AMAZON, MICROSOFT, CISCO, COURSERA). Training of 125,000 unemployed and employed people in digital and green skills has already started.
  • The state’s housing policy was restarted with an emphasis on young and vulnerable citizens, with the implementation of programs that are already garnering great interest from the beneficiaries.

Of course, there is still much that can and should be done. The increase in wages is at the core of New Democracy’s program for the next 4 years: as Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out, one of the four goals in the economic sector in the next four years is to increase wages so that the average wage rises at 1,500 euros and the lowest at 950 euros.

At the same time, the government’s aim will be to expand the application of the Digital Labor Card, which is a guarantee for the respect of working hours and overtime.

But the positive course is not a given and the progress achieved with the effort of the previous 4 years will be in danger of being lost if there is no seriousness and political stability. Which is a basic condition for investment, development and new jobs”.