According to the Central Union of Chambers of Greece (KEEE), the number of vacant jobs across the country totals 260,000, based on the results of a survey conducted on a sample of 5,076 companies.
The data shows that 37% of companies admit to having job vacancies, a percentage that rises significantly, reaching 60% when it comes to companies with more than 25 employees.
In the survey carried out by Palmos Analysis, the main problems were recorded on the islands and also in Thessaly.
Where are the biggest gaps recorded?
The sectors with the highest percentages of companies reporting job vacancies are construction, manufacturing, accommodation and catering, with a high percentage also being recorded among export-oriented companies. More specifically, the data show that, at regional level, the biggest problem with job vacancies is found in companies operating in the South Aegean (47%).
This is followed by the island of Crete and the Northern Aegean (46%), as well as Thessaly (43%).
On the contrary, a smaller problem with job vacancies appears to be registered in companies in Western Macedonia (27%), followed by Peloponnese (28%), Epirus (30%) and Central Macedonia (31%).
In Ática, which also has the largest number of companies nationwide, 39% of them stated that they had vacant jobs, that is, two percentage points above the general average.
By sector
In sectoral terms, the majority of vacant jobs are in companies operating in construction (55%).
The manufacturing industry follows (50%), while the catering and accommodation sectors record a very high turnover (48%). On the other hand, the least problems are recorded in financial and insurance activities (16%), followed by education (23%) and health and social assistance (32%).
Almost half of companies with export activity (48%) say they have job vacancies. In terms of turnover, the biggest problem with job vacancies (56%) is faced by companies with a turnover of between 5 and 10 million euros.
Causes
The lack of people interested in doing this type of work (45%) and the lack of people with the required qualifications – skills – experience (36%) are the two main reasons why jobs remain vacant in companies, according to the survey.
Regarding the most basic skills and abilities that employees should have, survey participants highlighted knowledge/use of English as the first choice (39%), followed by basic digital skills/online collaboration/teleworking.