Job vacancies exceed 260,000 nationwide
The problem of ever-increasing job vacancies is developing into an obstacle to the domestic economy’s growth course, with the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce (KEEE) estimating that there are currently at least 260,000 job vacancies nationwide.
The problem is mainly found at large companies, with over 25 staff members, in the island regions of the country and Thessaly, as well as in the construction, manufacturing, accommodation and food service sectors, while a high percentage is also recorded among companies with an export character.
The larger the company, the more the problem increases, since, as can be seen from the KEEE research, at companies with a staff of 51 people or more, there are on average nine vacant posts.
There are two main reasons for the growth of the problem: the refusal of the unemployed to take on the specific specialties, obviously in combination with working conditions and the salaries and benefits offered, as well as the mismatch of skills between the workforce and the qualifications demanded by businesses.
The nationwide survey conducted on a representative sample of 5,076 businesses by the KEEE Research Institute in collaboration with Palmos Analysis, from February to May 2024, shows that 37% of businesses have job vacancies, a percentage that is increasing leaps and bounds, reaching 60% when it comes to companies with more than 25 employees.
The biggest problems with vacant posts are faced by companies active in construction (55%). This is followed by manufacturing (50%), while food service and accommodation are very high (48%). Conversely, businesses in finance and insurance (16%) appear to be facing the fewest problems, with the education (23%) and health and social care (32%) sectors falling somewhere in the middle. Of course, the fact that almost half of the companies with export activity (48%) state that they also have job vacancies is a serious concern.
Two out of seven (28%) businesses are looking for staff to fill vacancies in the services and sales professions. They are followed, with a particularly high percentage of 27%, by unskilled workers, manual workers and small professionals, while at 23% are skilled artisans and those practicing related professions.
