The Minister of Labor and Social Security to attract Greeks abroad to the Greek labor market were highlighted by the Minister, Ceramic Victory On Wednesday, June 4, at the joint meeting of the Special Standing Committee of Hellenism of the Diaspora and the Standing Committee on Social Affairs of the House.
In her placement, the minister emphasized that it was a state’s debt to try to attract back to Greece the Greeks abroad who migrated during the crisis years, seeking better professional opportunities, and quoted three axes in this direction, in alignment with his 20th strategic plan:
First Axis – Configuration of wider proper conditions for work in Greece:
- Unemployment fell below 10% for the first time in 15 years, while in April it fell to 8.3%, the lowest of the last 17 years.
- Greece has the largest increase in employment at the ages of 20-64 in the European Union countries between third and fourth quarter 2024 (along with Luxembourg).
- Since 2019, 500,000 new jobs have been created.
- According to the annual report of the ERGANI 2024 Information System, full employment reaches 76.4%, 53.7% of employees receive a salary of over € 1,000, compared to 36.3% in 2019, while average salary amounted to € 1,342 in 2024, +28.3% since 2019. Average full -time salary is 1,478€.
- From 1/4/2025, the monthly minimum wage is at € 880 from € 650 in 2019, an increase of 35.4%.
- Insurance contributions have already been reduced by 5.4 percentage points and are expected to be reduced by half a percentage point in 2027.
- Extension of the Digital Work Card – 815,000 more overtime for 2024 and 637% increase overtime in tourism in March 2025.
- Establishment of a Parents ‘Workers’ Protection Nursery.
- New flexible work settings.
- We protect the health and safety of workers.
- Controls are intensified by the Labor Inspectorate.
Second axis – Creating incentives purely for the return of Greeks abroad:
- 50% reduction in income tax for those who have been foreign tax residents for at least 5 years, for 7 years after their return to our country.
- Special process of identifying specialty in US doctors.
Third axis – highlighting new professional opportunities and incentives through information and interface actions:
- Attracting Greeks abroad by organizing events in the cities where they live and operate.
- The aim is to inform Greek citizens about the state of the labor market in Greece and their repatriation incentives.
- Interconnection of expatriates with important Greek businesses that offer many well -paid jobs.
The events took place in Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, London and Stuttgart in recent months, with a total of over 120 business missions and 5,000 interested citizens.
The minister noted that according to Eurostat official data, 659,547 Greek citizens left the country in 2010-2023 and have returned 422,688, that is, we have a 64% reversal of the Brain Drain of the crisis, while calling for MPs to reinforce MPs.
The Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameos, said:
«The issue of Brain Gain, the question of how we will attract back those brilliant minds that have gone mainly during the crisis, is a national affair that transcends parties and colors. And in this endeavor we invite you all. My phone, my office will always be open to all colleagues who have thought of specific suggestions to strengthen the incentive framework, overall the return effort».
Finally, Ms Kerameos announced that the next ministry’s extroversion action will take place next December in New York with the participation of important staff looking for staff. At the same time, it left open the possibility of another similar action in a European city in 2025.
The Commission was also attended by the Secretary General of Labor Relations Nikos Malapidis, who stated:
«Expanding the workforce and increasing employment is the priority of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. With the actions of the Ministry of Labor we seek to link Greeks abroad with Greek businesses at a time of unemployment that unemployment is steadily decreasing and all businesses are looking for staff. Greek professionals are returning to the Greek labor market, not only for emotional reasons but also because, with a lot of work, the labor market becomes more attractive as the economy is growing. We want to “bow” the labor market with the know -how and experience of Greeks abroad and we will continue our efforts with actions “Rebrain Greece in Europe and America».