At Caritis Taverna, located in the Palm Trees and Garden Plant Square beneath the Acropolis, a notice indicates that they are actively seeking staff, including chefs and waiters.
With an unprecedented influx of tourists expected in Athens this summer, restaurant owners are taking no chances. “Finding employees is becoming increasingly challenging,” remarked Dimitris Stathokostopoulos, who co-runs a restaurant with his siblings. “While tourism is definitely picking up, many Greeks are opting for 9-to-5 office jobs that allow them to avoid working nights or weekends.”
As the busy season approaches, the urgency to find qualified personnel is growing. Greece, despite being a top European destination, is facing a significant labor shortage.
This deficiency comes just weeks before tourists arrive, with around 80,000 vacancies in the food and hospitality sectors remaining unfilled. This sector is crucial, representing 25% of Greece’s GDP.
Stathokostopoulos isn’t alone in his struggle; many restaurateurs are finding it difficult to hire enough staff to cater to the demands of their busy venues.
Throughout the country, hoteliers are in a rush to secure front-of-house managers, cleaners, lifeguards, and cooks. In popular locations like Crete and Rhodes, reports have surged of hoteliers enticing workers away from competitors with promises of better pay and working conditions.
“It’s a bit of a legacy from COVID-19,” said POET chairman of the Panhellenic Workers Federation in Food Services and Tourism. “The issue is particularly severe in Greece, as many people have not returned to work. We’re short about 80,000 jobs now.”
Hotzoglou believes the seasonality of the industry is a significant factor. “Workers are limited to three months of unemployment benefits during the off-season. How can they survive during the rest of the year in this living-cost crisis?”
The labor shortage is not exclusive to tourism. Fields like construction and agriculture face similar challenges due to dramatic demographic changes and the emigration of over 500,000 skilled workers during the nearly decade-long economic crisis.
In response, the central right government is trying to legitimize the status of about 30,000 undocumented immigrants, partly due to pressure from local lawmakers. They’ve also entered into bilateral agreements for labor migration with several countries, including Egypt, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Georgia, India, and Moldova.
“I recently received a job offer from a company in Dubai,” said Stathokostopoulos. “We have a worker from Bangladesh in our kitchen, and he’s fantastic. People from Asia and other regions are now applying for these positions.”
Asylum seekers, previously confined to refugee facilities, are now finding employment opportunities in northern Greece.
Since taking charge of the Ministry of Immigration in March, Makis Volidis has made it clear that he intends to deport “illegal immigrants” and has tightened government immigration policies, taking a “strict but fair” approach.
Sofia Kovelaki, who leads Home Project, an organization helping refugees and immigrant children in Athens, mentioned that while many faced challenges, a few hundred children have successfully found advanced job opportunities through their program.
The situation in Greece reflects a paradox; its economic revival has led to increased challenges. One of Europe’s fastest-growing economies has seen recovery rates drop from 18% to 9% in the past six years.
Spiros Protopsaltis, from Greece’s Public Employment Services, suggested that while the discussion around job vacancies might be exaggerated, there remain untapped labor sources, particularly among women.
Time is critical. By 2028, the Ministry of Tourism anticipates that Athens will welcome about 40 million visitors—almost four times the nation’s population—largely due to rising arrivals from emerging markets such as India and China.
Greece has organized job fairs in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK to recruit internationally. In addition to attracting foreign workers, there’s hope for the return of Greeks who emigrated during the financial crisis, Protopsaltis noted.
“We’re encouraging people to come back,” he said. “The Greek economy isn’t what it used to be; it’s thriving now.”
