Job losses outstrip hirings in July

For the second July during the crisis, there were more job losses than hirings last month, the peak of the tourist season, the latest data from the Labor Ministry’s Ergani database showed.

In July, new hires amounted to 239,080 positions in July, while departures came to 247,690, producing a negative balance of 8,610. Of the total departures, 96,375 were voluntary and 151,315 were contract terminations.

The last time that departures outstripped hirings in July was in 2015, when a negative balance of 16,658 jobs was recorded.

July is also the second month this year (after January) when departures outstripped hirings.

At the same time, of the 239,080 hires last month, almost 55 percent concerned part-time or shift work, that is, mainly poorly paid positions for young people.

Despite July’s negative balance, in the first seven months of the year hirings outnumbered departures by 289,561, which the ministry said was the best performance for the period since 2001.

The significant increase in recruitment in the previous five months is probably behind the dip in waged employment in July, experts told Kathimerini, as the tourism and food sectors, which are the engines of employment during the summer, rushed to recruit more staff earlier.

Thus, the second wave of layoffs in the education sector in July due to the ending of the school year outpaced the increase in employment in the tourism-related sectors.

Compared to July 2017, there are 15,852 fewer jobs. In another indication of the direction of the labor market, the balance between hirings and departures was positive only in the 15-to-24 age group, where full-time workers can expect a minimum wage of 510 euros gross.

At the same time, flexible employment forms remain predominant. Since the beginning of the year, 773,071 full-time jobs have been created, representing over 48 percent of the total, compared to 51.5 percent part-time and rotation recruits.

Indeed, in July the situation worsened in this regard, with full-time contracts accounting for 45.31 percent of the total.

In terms of gender, more men found jobs than lost them (up 3,631) while more women lost jobs than found them (down 12,241).

Most new jobs were created in catering services (up 13,451) and accommodation (up 7,419), while departures were mainly in education (down 31,462).