Hiring Wave Lifts Greece’s Job Market, But Flex Work on the Rise

Greece’s private sector recorded its strongest performance in nearly a quarter-century, with 317,301 new salaried jobs created between Jan. and Aug. 2025. This marks the highest net increase in employment since 2001, according to official figures from the ERGANI system.

In the first eight months of the year, 2,266,335 hires were reported, compared to 1,949,034 departures. Of those exits, 1,185,457 came from contract terminations or expirations, while 763,577 were voluntary resignations.

By comparison, the same period in 2024 showed a net increase of 299,148 jobs, the second-highest result on record.

A Dip in August

Despite the strong overall picture, Aug. 2025 showed a slight decline in salaried employment, with a negative balance of 2,542 jobs. The month saw 213,332 hires and 215,874 departures, split between 87,544 resignations and 128,330 contract terminations or expirations.
Still, the Aug. balance was an improvement over the same month in 2024, which ended with a loss of 5,081 jobs.

Full-Time vs. Flexible Work

From Jan. to Aug., most new contracts (55.85%) were for full-time positions, with 34.91% part-time and 9.24% shift-based. In August alone, full-time employment accounted for 49.87% of hires, while part-time rose to 39.73%.

During the same month, 2,284 contracts were converted from full-time to part-time, 657 to shift-based with employee agreement, and 37 to shift-based unilaterally by employers.

Sectors and Occupations

The strongest hiring activity in Aug. came from public administration, defense, and education. The highest number of departures were recorded in food service activities.
Among specific occupations, the biggest net gains were seen in cleaners, teaching staff (professors, teachers), and early childhood educators and assistants.

Source: tovima.com