Minister of Social Security to OT.gr – Return to normalcy and high growth rates government targets

The gradual return to normalcy and high and sustainable growth rates are the two main goals of the government, according to the Minister of Social Security Panos Tsakloglou, speaking at the stand of OT.gr at the Thessaloniki International Fair. He added that there are sound government estimates that the second half of 2021 will be accompanied by a strong recovery, but not 16%, as reflected in the second quarter.

He also referred to the high unemployment rates in the country, mainly in terms of young people and women, noting that there are specialized programs for employment. At the same time, he noted that at the moment, the data on employment growth in Greece are better than in 2019.

Also, the Minister of Social Security stated that during the pandemic there were government measures to protect employment, something that led to the current increase in the level of employment in Greece.

At the same time, he noted that the existing statistics show that the brain drain in the country has stopped, adding that the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will announce tonight measures to strengthen employment, which will include young people.

“We know that there is a problem of unemployment in Greece”, he stressed, adding that in 2007 Greece marked 12 years with the 2nd GDP growth rate in Europe but also the 2nd unemployment rate for women and young people, which means that this issue is timeless

He attributed the phenomenon to many factors for the low levels of employment in Greece, in relation to the eurozone, citing the example of frequent early retirement of women. “Today more and more women are entering the labor market,” she said, noting that this is positive for both themselves and the economy as a whole. Mr. Tsakloglou also stated that the data on youth unemployment “do not say much”, because many are in education.

Referring to the phenomenon of price increases in the country, Mr. Tsakloglou said that it is mainly due to the increase in prices for pollutants, but also to malfunctions in the economy, due to the pandemic.

At the same time, he noted that there are two schools of thought: one that argues that the phenomenon will be temporary and another that predicts that there will be more permanent features, with the government agreeing with the former and preparing to announce support measures.