Greece Secures Just 25% of Needed Foreign Workers for 2025

Only one in four vacant jobs in Greece is expected to be filled in 2025, as the government has managed to bring about a quarter of the workers that are needed to fill market gaps.

According to local media, 90,000 foreign workers came to Greece in 2025, meeting 25 per cent of the requirements for 360,000 workers that the country has for this year, Schengen.News reports.

These workers, coming from around the world, are mainly filling positions in catering, agriculture, construction, and tourism industries, with the latter being particularly necessary for Greece, as tourism generates about ten per cent of the country’s GDP.

Here Are All the Attempts Greece Made to Ensure the Needed Foreign Workers for 2025

Greek authorities have been dedicated to meeting the needs of the market for this year, making efforts to bring more foreign workers to the country.

For example, Greece reached an agreement with India to bring about 50,000 additional Indian workers to the country. This agreement was set to be completed by the end of the summer, and worker transfers would be done at any time.

This was one of several agreements that Greece eyed for 2025. Nationals of third countries, especially those in tourism and catering, as well as construction and agriculture.

For the two-year period (2023-2024), foreign workers were needed to fill 147,925 jobs, while there was also an additional decision in 2024, which approved another 32,517 transfers of workers from third countries.

The majority of these workers were unskilled land workers, builders, machine operators, factory workers, as well as office workers. About 42,520 out of 89,290 positions, representing half, were related to seasonal work.

Over 89,000 Skilled Workers Needed in Greece This Year

The goal of workers in dependent employment, seasonal employment, and highly-skilled employment is set at 89,290, with dependent employment being the number one sector with the most opportunities.

For example, there are 41,670 positions for dependent employment, representing 46.7 per cent of all. Another 45,670 positions are related to seasonal employment. About 2,000 approved jobs refer to highly skilled employment.

Local media reports that if the transfers are completed, an additional 3,000 foreign workers will be employed in manufacturing. Another 1,430 could end up as factory workers, mainly in the food industry, olive mills, and cheese factories, among others. Moreover, 2,500 positions available are related to healthcare, the elderly, and home care.