Not only are they not filling “gaps” but they are recording a decrease of 4,800 employees in companies operating in accommodation services.
As shown by the most recent employment data presented by ELSTAT, the number of employees in accommodation and catering services activities in the second quarter of 2025 decreased by 1.1% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2024.
The data show that these employees amounted to 434,900 compared to 439,700 thousand in the second quarter of 2024, constituting 9.9% of the total number of employees in Greece.
Although the accommodation sector may be experiencing a decline in the number of employees, tourism appears to be contributing positively to employment in tourist areas. Looking at the unemployment rates by region in the second quarter, which coincides with the start of the tourist season, the predominantly tourist regions, which offer greater employment opportunities in tourism and related professions, record the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Thus, the South Aegean region has the lowest unemployment rate in Greece, followed by Crete. In fact, these two regions managed to “drop” the unemployment rate below the 5% threshold, showing an improved picture compared to the second quarter of 2024, when it exceeded 5%.
Thessaly (5%), followed by the North Aegean, Western Greece and Attica, ranks third among the regions with the lowest unemployment. Furthermore, an impressive decrease in unemployment compared to last year is observed in the Ionian Islands (from approximately 17% to approximately 8%).
In a broader picture, the number of employed persons amounted to 4,386,832 people, showing an increase of 4% compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 1.4% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The number of unemployed persons amounted to 411,722 people, showing a decrease of 15.7% compared to the previous quarter and a decrease of 12% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2025 amounted to 8.6%, compared to 9.8% in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The occupations that account for the largest percentage of employed persons in the second quarter of 2025 are those employed in the provision of services and sales (23%) and professionals (22.6%).
Compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the largest increase is observed in unskilled workers, manual workers and small professionals (14.6%), while the largest decrease is observed in skilled farmers, livestock breeders, foresters and fishermen (-14.7%).
The largest percentage of employed persons work as employees (72.1%), while the percentage of self-employed persons without staff (17.9%) is also significant.
The percentage of part-time employment is 5.7%, down by 11.4% compared to the second quarter of the previous year. The percentage of people with temporary employment stands at 11%, recording an increase of 5.6% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
