With regard to the seasonality of receipts, 85% of them are recorded from the beginning to the end of the summer season (April-September) both for 2019 and 2023. This figure is not expected to have changed in 2024, according to the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation.
Europe has a big problem with worker mobility. Less than 4% of the European Union’s productive population works in countries other than their own. This is unsustainable if EU economic growth can match that of its competitors.
Greece is even lower than the average in attracting foreign workers, despite the fact that it faces one of the most acute demographic challenges. Not only that, but it lags the eurozone average in foreign direct investment. To converge with the average, it needs to do more to attract talent and a workforce.
According to Eurostat data, the countries that attract the most European citizens to their economies are Luxembourg (40%) – certainly a skewed statistic due to size and the number of companies headquartered there – Cyprus (12%), Austria (11%) and Malta (10%). Greece, with 2%, is consistently among the laggards, alongside countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia and Romania. An International Monetary Fund report points to how less integrated the EU market is compared to the US, and how this fact keeps businesses from having access to a wider pool of talent for productive activities.
Some of the low mobility of professionals has to do with cultural and linguistic factors; but there are also obstacles such as limited recognition of the compatibility of skills, the insufficient coordination of the social security systems, the difficulty in transferring pensionable working years and also the limited access to affordable housing.
Some countries charge higher fees for recognition of academic titles, require documents beyond those specified in the European directive, have lengthy procedures or carry out arbitrary checks that delay recognition. Hence, according to the IMF, “an optimized and consistent system of recognition of qualifications is needed, as many workers cannot benefit from job opportunities in other member-states, which limits both their personal career development and broader economic integration across the European Union.”
Meanwhile, according to technocrats such as former Italian PM Enrico Letta, around 5,400 professions accounting for 22% of the EU workforce are subject to regulation in all member-states. This difficulty is considered to discourage moving or forces the worker to change professions by taking on lower-skilled roles.