The Greek labor market presents an interesting but also extremely worrying contradiction: While Eurostat data for 2024 continue to debunk a deeply rooted stereotype, that Greeks work little, they show that the productivity of this work remains lower than the European Union average.
This is a phenomenon that has been repeatedly highlighted by both international organizations and Greek experts, demonstrating the serious consequences of the phenomenon for both the competitiveness of the Greek economy and social cohesion.
That also comes across through another contradiction: Greek workers are forced to work more hours to achieve higher incomes, as the average annual salary adjusted for full-time employment is about 17,000 euros, but low productivity hampers increasing wages and improving working conditions.
The 2024 Eurostat figures show Greek workers are employed on average 39.8 hours per week, when the EU average is 36 hours, with Greece consistently ranking first in the bloc. However, this does not translate into high productivity: Hourly labor productivity in Greece remains at just 60% of the EU average, per Eurostat.