The tourist season has begun, there are no staff: Greece lacks 90,000 workers

2 hours ago 11

GREECE. The 2026 tourist play will start with a shortage of astatine slightest 90,000 employeesdespite the information that the wide shortage of unit successful the system exceeds 300,000 people.

And this is nary longer a temporary problem, but a systemic nonaccomplishment of the labour market.

Where radical are missing

The astir acute shortage is recorded successful tourism and the work sector:

hotels;
restaurants;
tourism enterprises.

There is simply a shortage of basal specialists:

waiters;
maids;
cooks;
support staff.

In some cases, businesses are already working with understaffed teamsreducing the prime of services.

The occupation is broader than tourism

The unit situation is besides affecting different industries:

construction (shortage of workers and technicians);
industry (shortage of some workers and specialists);
agriculture (acute shortage during harvest season).

In fact, there is simply a shortage of everyone – from unskilled workers to technical specialists.

Importing labour does not help

They are trying to partially solve the occupation done overseas workers. In 2026 it is planned to pull astir 94,500 people.

But this is not enough:

needs transcend 360,000 employees;
only closes every 4th vacancy.

Distribution:

44.240 – imperishable employment;
48.000 — seasonal work;
2.000 – highly qualified specialists.

Some workers get under interstate agreements – for example, from Bangladesh And Egypt.

What’s Really Happening

Business demands speak for themselves: requests to pull overseas labour person reached 400.000of which much 246.000 – lone successful agriculture.

This means 1 thing: The home labour marketplace does not screen adjacent the basal needs of the economy.

What’s the result?

Greece enters the play with a paradox: a grounds travel of tourists and astatine the aforesaid clip a shortage of workers.

The occupation is nary longer the deficiency of labour arsenic such, but the conditions under which radical are not acceptable to work successful these sectors.

And the main question sounds much and much harshly: if an system cannot pull radical within the country, tin it sustainably beryllium connected an outer resource.