Staff shortages top 200,000
Greece relies on the performance of its tourism, but also on the major projects that will be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility to counteract the inflationary and recessionary risks posed by the international environment; however, it does not have the human resources required to implement the projects related to these two industries.
The shortfall is huge and is not limited to highly skilled scientists and technicians; it even extends to the least skilled personnel. It is estimated that more than 160,000 people in addition to those already employed must be found to staff the construction and technical sectors and more than 50,000 to cover posts in tourism.
In the accommodation sector extreme solutions have begun to be considered, such as the recruitment of retirees or the part-time employment of teachers during the summer months, while in construction and concessions, foreign groups, such as French firm Egis, which is interested in operating in Greece, are finding executives and launching acquisitions of entire Greek consulting companies to meet their needs in the Greek market.
Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) head Giorgos Stasinos explains that more than 10,000 additional engineers and more than 50,000 additional craftsmen are needed, while the number of extra working staff required exceeds 100,000 people.
“We have in front us a huge challenge, unique in history, volume and quantity – i.e. public and private projects that must be implemented in just a few years,” says Stasinos. “But the construction sector has lost a large part of its basic resources in the last few years: the people with knowledge, experience and skills required to implement all these projects.”
The Greek Tourism Confederation estimates that out of the 250,000 jobs Greek hotels require, more than 50,000 of all specialties remain vacant. And this despite the relatively high salaries offered, according to entrepreneurs in the industry.
