Protection against layoffs for 600,000 workers until August 31

This period is particularly important for the outlook of employment in Greece, as the government measures may have laid out a safety net for about 600,000 private sector workers, but as the measures reach their end and the economy slowly reverts to normality the risk of more company shutdowns and staff layoffs looms larger.

Kathimerini understands that at least 588,000 employees are protected from layoffs until August 31 thanks to the seventh phase of the cheap state loans program (“Deposit To Be Returned”) their employers have joined.

Protection is also provided to employees at companies hurt by the lockdowns who have entered furlough status. On the other hand, thousands of workers may face the specter of unemployment as their enterprises gradually return to normal operations without using the measure of contract suspension.

According to estimates, the number of workers to enter furlough status this month will be significantly lower than last month, when 472,899 contracts were suspended; in April furloughed workers collected 212.2 million euros in special-purpose compensation.

They were 30,792 fewer than in March 2021, when the compensation had added up to €254.9 million.