The change of example in the Greek labor market and the return of the majority of Greeks who fled abroad, especially during the crisis, were the main points of the placement of the Minister of Labor and Social Security Niki Kerameos at the “Brain Retain & Regain” conference organized by the website.

The minister began his position, with the moving experiences she gained from her recent contact in Stuttgart with Greeks living and working abroad and looking for a good professional opportunity to return to our country. As he pointed out, in the fourth -series “Rebrain Greece” event held last Saturday, 32 Greek companies and over 1,000 interested parties participated, and just as happened at similar events organized in Amsterdam, Düsseldorf and London. “I have met over 5,000 of our compatriots at events that have taken place in four cities to date. Twenty years ago someone returned to Greece for family reasons. Now those who are back, in addition to family reasons, are turning around and because there are well -paid jobs, but also for the tax incentives offered, “said Ms. Kerameos, who subsequently referred to the official Eurostat figures, according to which of our 660,000 fellow citizens who left 420,000.

The minister referred to a dramatic decline in unemployment, which in April was recorded at 8.3%, ranking our country better than countries such as Sweden, Finland, Spain and Estonia.

Answering questions from journalists who co -ordinated the panel, Ms. Kerameos explained the actions to further enhance employment and specifically referred to the 44 “Career Days” of DPA organized in 18 cities in Greece, as well as the “Jobmatch” application, through which they are “clicking”.

The minister underlined the significant improvement in the working conditions of the use of the digital work card and was given as a typical example that last March, only in the tourism industry, a 637% increase was recorded in the declared overtime. As he explained, the digital work card protects workers, healthy competition between businesses, and returns a dividend to society.

Answering a question about the reasons that one would return to our country, the minister promoted Greece’s significant growth rate, the creation of 500,000 new jobs, the increase in wages, and the great professional opportunities that exist. “When we go abroad, there are 50 businesses looking for specialized staff with us. At the same time, 420,000 of our compatriots have returned. Why? Because the country has a lot to offer, “the minister said.

In addition to professional opportunities, he referred to the government’s tax incentives for those who decide to return but also to a significant reduction in non -wage costs, noting that a total of six percentage points in 2027 would have been reduced.

Referring to the collective agreements, he emphasized that the concern of the government is the increase in the rate of coverage from them and specifically referred to the collective agreements signed in tourism and the banking industry, noting that the minimum wage they provide is higher than the minimum wage. As he pointed out, the government will strengthen the institutional framework, but it is crucial to sit at the negotiating table by representatives of workers and employers and agree. “Dialogue is currently underway with all national social partners to develop a roadmap to strengthen the framework of collective agreements by the end of the year. We are open to dialogue, we are ready to hear their suggestions, “the minister said.

She herself referred to the Ministry’s actions to enhance employment, and in particular to the training and re -establishment programs, the DBA apprenticeship schools, but also to the entrepreneurship programs, referring to a specific example of an unemployed young girl, who now concerns her employees.