Greece is launching a new employment program offering 8,000 jobs for unemployed people aged 55 and over, Labor and Social Security Minister Niki Kerameus announced, as part of a broader effort to support older workers who face greater challenges re-entering the labor market.
Speaking in a television interview, Kerameus said the initiative will be implemented through the country’s Public Employment Service (DYPA) and will provide two-year positions in municipalities, regional authorities, hospitals and other public sector bodies.
The minister said the program is designed to help older jobseekers return to employment while allowing many participants to complete the years of work required for retirement. According to Kerameus, more than 35,000 people have already benefited from previous rounds of the initiative.
Pension reforms
Kerameus also outlined upcoming pension reforms that the government plans to submit to parliament later this month.
The proposed legislation would reverse reductions to survivor pensions introduced under earlier reforms. Under the changes, pension recipients whose benefits had been reduced from 70% to 35% after three years would have their payments restored to 70%.
The minister also said that around 75,000 widows and widowers who had not seen the reduction applied would not be asked to repay any amounts retrospectively.
In addition, the government plans to preserve the right of approximately 122,000 pensioners to receive two national pensions when eligible through both personal and survivor pension rights. Children who have lost both parents would also receive a doubled national pension benefit under the proposed measures.
Expanded digital labor monitoring
Kerameus said Greece’s Digital Work Card system will be expanded to additional sectors, including private healthcare, telecommunications, consulting services, dry cleaning, hairdressing, logistics and gambling.
The system, which is intended to strengthen compliance with labor regulations, will cover around 2.5 million workers. The minister said annual workplace inspections have increased to 80,000, while fines for labor violations can reach €10,500 per employee.
According to Kerameus, the introduction of the Digital Work Card has led to a 1,200% increase in declared overtime, boosting social security revenues.
Labor market trends
The minister said Greece’s unemployment rate has fallen from 18% in 2019 to around 8% today, adding that more than 563,000 additional people are now employed.
She also noted that labor shortages have emerged as a new challenge and said Greeks living abroad represent an important source of skilled workers. According to Kerameus, citing Eurostat data, the Rebrain Greece initiative has contributed to the return of 473,000 Greek citizens to the country over the past two years.
