Your first visit as Minister of Labor and Social Security in the offices of its central administration Public Employment Service (DYPA) in Alimos he did on Tuesday the Niki Kerameos.
He was briefed on the progress of the implementation of DYPA’s actions by Governor Spyros Protopsaltis and held talks with Deputy Governors Giorgos Karachalios, Gianna Hormova and Vassilis Georgiadis, DYPA’s general managers, directors and other executives, as well as employee representatives.
Mrs. Kerameos congratulated all the employees and managers of the Service individually, for the important, as she described it, transformation of the Organization, whose work is reflected in the reduction of unemployment rates recorded in our country and set as objectives the further strengthening of the of job and its further reduction unemployment.
At the same time, he highlighted specific points, starting with the “JobMatch” platform, which he said could expand its operations and become a central point of connection between employers and workers to meet the needs of supply and demand in the labor market.
“I feel that this is something that is missing in the country, a central mechanism that will “match” the supply and demand for work”, he stressed.
Furthermore, Ms. Kerameos emphasized the need to strengthen women-centered employment and announced policies to combat underemployment of women by providing incentives, noting that there is ample room for improvement on this particular issue. “So for young people who are out of education, out of training, out of employment, there are very significant opportunities for improvement,” she noted.
Furthermore, he identified a wide field of improvement for people with disabilities, and speaking on behalf of active retirees, he characterized the regulation established for pensions without cuts as a very important step.
Referring to training programs, he highlighted the need to improve their quality, as well as to establish rigorous certification filters, so that the benefits of active employment policies are long-lasting.
Finally, on the occasion of her term as Minister of Education and Religious Affairs and her current role as Minister of Labour and Social Security, she described the two ministries as communicating containers and stressed that there is ample room for convergence.
“At the Ministry of Labour, we are establishing, and we want to strengthen, a mechanism for diagnosing the needs of the labour market. The findings of this mechanism should be integrated into the education system, starting from primary school. To be included in the career guidance initiatives for students,” he said and announced initiatives, together with the Minister of Education, Religion and Sports, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, for closer cooperation between the two ministries in this regard.
In turn, DYPA Commander Spyros Protopsaltis stated that “the essential support of the Minister, Nikis Kerameos, to DYPA since day one and today’s remarks on strengthening its role and actions to increase employment, fill us with a sense of responsibility, so that we can continue at an even more intense pace for even greater efficiency.
Having made a decisive contribution to reducing unemployment by 40% to 10.6%, which represents a 15-year low, all of us together – management and workers – at DYPA are methodically implementing the largest “package” of active employment and training policies ever undertaken in the country to create new jobs and expand and update the skills of the workforce. The aim is to effectively support all citizens seeking work and companies seeking suitable personnel.
DYPA, after a period of reorganisation, digitalisation and improvement of the services it provides, is entering an era of reforms, partnerships and innovations. Today’s visit by the Minister confirms the importance of continuous improvement for even better services to citizens and businesses, a more effective coupling between supply and demand in the labour market and new partnerships and initiatives in all areas of DYPA’s action, with a focus on our fellow citizens who face the greatest obstacles to integration and reintegration into the workplace, such as women, young people, the long-term unemployed and vulnerable social groups.”