Greece Faces Persistent Labour Shortage Despite Influx of Foreign Workers in 2025

Only one in four vacant jobs in Greece is expected to be filled this year, with the government managing to cover just 25 per cent of the market’s workforce needs through the recruitment of foreign labour. As reported by local Greek media, approximately 90,000 foreign workers arrived in Greece in 2025 to address a total of 360,000 labour market vacancies—leaving the vast majority of positions still unfilled.

The workers who have arrived are primarily employed in key sectors such as catering, agriculture, construction, and tourism. Tourism, in particular, remains critical to the Greek economy, contributing around ten per cent of the country’s GDP, and is one of the sectors most in need of staff.

Greek authorities have been making concentrated efforts to attract and secure the foreign labour necessary to support these industries throughout 2025. One prominent initiative involved a bilateral agreement between Greece and India aimed at facilitating the arrival of up to 50,000 Indian workers. The deal was structured to be finalized by the end of the summer, with the deployment of workers allowed at any point thereafter. This arrangement with India was just one of multiple agreements being pursued in 2025 to bring in third-country nationals, particularly for roles in tourism, catering, agriculture, and construction.

Over the previous two-year period from 2023 to 2024, Greece had identified the need for 147,925 foreign workers to support its labour market. An additional decision made in 2024 permitted a further 32,517 worker transfers from third countries, reflecting the expanding scope of demand. Most of the workers brought in were classified as unskilled, employed primarily as land workers, builders, machine operators, factory workers, and office employees. A significant share of the roles—42,520 out of 89,290 positions—were seasonal in nature, making up about half of the total.

In 2025, the labour market requires a total of 89,290 positions to be filled across three main categories: dependent employment, seasonal employment, and highly skilled employment. Dependent employment accounts for the largest portion, with 41,670 available positions, representing 46.7 per cent of the total. Seasonal employment opportunities closely follow, amounting to 45,670 roles. Additionally, around 2,000 jobs approved for the year are designated for highly skilled workers.

If the various transfer plans currently underway are successfully completed, Greek authorities estimate that another 3,000 foreign workers could be employed in the manufacturing sector. Of these, 1,430 could find work in factory settings, particularly in the food industry, including positions in olive mills and cheese factories. Furthermore, approximately 2,500 job openings are tied to healthcare services, elderly care, and home assistance—fields that are experiencing growing demand due to demographic shifts and an ageing population.

Despite these concerted efforts, the scale of the workforce deficit continues to pose a major challenge for Greece’s economy. With only a quarter of the necessary jobs expected to be filled this year, it is evident that the government’s current strategy, while proactive, still falls short of bridging the gap in a labour market stretched across critical and seasonal sectors.

By fLEXI tEAM