Greece announces subsidised remote work programme for remote areas

Greek Minister of Labour and Social Security Niki Kerameus has announced a new subsidised employment programme for businesses that hire workers living in mountainous and remote areas of the country.

Speaking to Greek television channel ANT1, Kerameus said decentralisation is a major priority for the government, which is seeking to provide incentives for workers and businesses to move towards the regions, CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.

The new subsidised employment programme is part of this effort and will support businesses hiring employees who live in mountainous and remote areas. Under the programme, work will be carried out remotely, while 90% of the employee’s salary and social security contributions will be subsidised for 12 months. Recent reports indicate the programme is designed to cover 1,000 positions.

“The idea is that this person stays in their area, but can also work, can be employed, and if they prove their value, the business will keep them afterwards,” Kerameus said. She added that the programme would also provide an incentive for businesses to give priority to hiring workers in this category.

Asked about unemployment in Greece, the minister recalled that two records were recorded the previous week — a historic reduction in unemployment and an increase in employment. She said the government’s focus was on providing continuous incentives for people to work.

Among the measures she cited is the employment benefit, under which unemployed people who find a job while receiving unemployment benefits can continue receiving half of the benefit in the form of an employment benefit. She also said that unemployed people are offered three job opportunities and, if they reject all three, they are removed from the unemployment register of the Public Employment Service (DYPA).

Kerameus also said that over the past seven years, Greece has gained 600,000 additional workers, while warning that the country’s domestic labour pool is gradually being depleted.

“One promising pool that we need to make full use of is Greeks living abroad,” she said, referring to Greeks who left the country, particularly during the years of the economic crisis.

For this reason, she said, the government has been taking the “Rebrain Greece” initiative to cities abroad with large Greek communities. Events have already been held in London, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and New York.

Kerameus also announced that the next “Rebrain Greece” event is scheduled to take place in Munich, Germany, on November 28.

She said Germany is facing significant economic difficulties, while Greece currently has a growth rate more than twice the eurozone average and significant political stability.

Kerameus recalled a previous event in Germany aimed at Greeks, which attracted 1,600 people. She said organisers were surprised to discover that German nationals had also attended the event seeking employment opportunities in Greece, amid economic difficulties in Germany at the time.

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