According to the Central Union of Chambers of Greece (KEEE), the number of vacant jobs nationwide totals 260,000, based on the results of a survey conducted on a sample of 5,076 businesses.
The data shows that 37% of businesses 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 as well as Thessaly.
Where are the biggest gaps recorded?
The sectors with the highest percentages of companies declaring job vacancies are construction, manufacturing, accommodation and restaurants, while a high percentage is also recorded among export-oriented companies. More precisely, the data show that at the level of regions, the biggest problem of job vacancies is found in companies operating in the South Aegean (47%).
This is followed by the island of Crete and the North Aegean (46%) as well as Thessaly (43%).
On the contrary, a smaller problem of job vacancies seems to be recorded in companies in Western Macedonia (27%), followed by the Peloponnese (28%), Epirus (30%) and Central Macedonia (31%).
In Attica, which also has the largest number of businesses nationwide, 39% of them stated that they have vacant jobs, i.e. two percentage points above the general average.
By sector
In terms of sectors, the majority of vacant jobs is recorded in companies active in construction (55%).
This is followed by manufacturing (50%), while restaurants and accommodation move very high (48%). In contrast, the smallest problems are recorded in financial and insurance activities (16%), followed by education (23%) and health and social care (32%).
Almost half of the companies with export activity (48%) state that they have job vacancies. In terms of turnover, the biggest problem of job vacancies (56%) is faced by businesses with a turnover of 5-10 million euros.
Causes
A lack of people interested in doing this type of work (45%) and a 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 must possess, the participants in the survey highlight knowledge/use of English as the top choice (39%), followed by basic digital skills/online collaboration/teleworking.
