Jobs for 50,000 Filipinos in Greece

The lack of personnel and the inability to cover the necessary jobs that many companies face is becoming a matter of highest priority for many productive branches of the Greek economy.

This problem gained wider publicity due to the lack of staff in the tourism and catering sector during the previous tourist season, when unfilled jobs exceeded 55,000.

The needs

However, the problem is found – to a large extent – in the primary sector as well, where basic production of agricultural products (i.e. olive oil production) is currently at risk, while there is also great pressure in five other productive branches of the economy.

The government and the relevant agencies faced with the problem – which will continue to exist in the coming seasons – are turning to the search for personnel through transnational agreements with various countries. Recently, the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had mentioned the pursuit of a similar agreement with the Philippines.

The problem

The Ministries of Labor and Foreign Affairs are already moving in this direction, since they previously proceeded – together with stakeholders – to assess needs, where they exist.

The tip of the spear is once again the tourism and food industry, where the relevant agencies estimate that – next season – at least an additional 50,000 people will be “needed”. However, needs are also recorded in other productive sectors.

Five productive sectors of the economy – apart from tourism – suffer from staff shortages, while eight out of ten employers, i.e. 78%, struggle to find suitable staff due to a lack of workers with the necessary skills.

Employers are sounding the alarm since shortages are also observed in the productive sectors of manufacturing, construction, business services, technology-communication services and activities related to human health and social care.

Employment Gap

According to Hellenic Federation of Enterprises records, “the deficitous employment rates in Greece reach 10% compared to the average of the European Union”.

Research by the Association of Industrial Enterprises shows that at the sectoral level the shortages are mainly found in manufacturing, where a gap of 5-6% is recorded. Especially for manufacturing, the comparison with the European South is revealing. It shows large manufacturing employment gaps in Greece reaching 7.4% compared to Portugal, 6% compared to Italy, 3% compared to Spain. Similar gaps exist in business services and technology services.

BSE analyzes reveal certain occupations-specialties with high demand in which, however, companies find it difficult to find suitable staff. mainly vocational education and training in high demand.
Occupations in high demand in the sectors of manufacturing, information and communication technologies (ICT), Energy, Logistics are:

IT application technician. Network and telecommunications technician. Computer technician. Supply chain services executive. Production electrician. Industrial plant maintenance technician. Automation technician. Operator of industrial facilities, machinery and equipment. Project machine operators. Metalworker. Food processing technician.

Construction

“Deficiencies and narrowness in the labor market” is also noted by the general director of the Ministry of Labour, Mr. K. Agrapidas, who notes that “despite the high rate of unemployment, the demand for specific specialties of high, medium or low specialization in the construction sector and of tourism cannot be covered”. Specifically:
In the construction sector according to the Technical Chamber of Greece, there is a shortage of skilled personnel, such as engineers and skilled craftsmen for the execution of large projects.

At the same time as the continuous reshuffles in the labor market, the traditional pattern of work is changing, as work can be provided from anywhere, outside the specific place or workplace, through a digital platform, or digital nomads who provide their work through contracting from any part of the planet. In the new competitive environment, advanced digital skills are necessary for the correct and appropriate use of technologies.