Foreign workers leave Greece, deepening labor market crisis

Greece is facing a deepening labor market crisis as thousands of foreign workers depart the country, according to a report by the Center for Economic and Planning Research (KEPE). This trend, detailed in the Greek publication Kathimerini, exacerbates existing workforce shortages.

The decline in Greece's workforce is attributed not only to an aging population but also to the departure of foreign laborers who traditionally filled labor needs. At the end of 2025, job vacancies in the Greek economy exceeded 31,000. The most significant deficits were reported in education (approximately 6,870 positions), health and social care, manufacturing, and retail and wholesale trade.

KEPE's report indicates that companies are struggling to find employees, leading to a continuous rise in vacant positions. The country's total population has decreased by 12,700 in one year, largely due to this outflow of foreigners. Before the 2008 financial crisis, foreigners constituted 6% of the population and 8.2% of the workforce. These figures have now fallen to 2.2% and 2.9% respectively, with the total number of foreigners in Greece reduced by over 65%.

The impact on the labor market is stark: the foreign workforce has shrunk by 74,400 individuals in one year, leaving only 97,500. Similarly, the number of legally employed foreigners has decreased by 53,000, or 37%. In contrast, the total number of employees in Greece has grown by 73,700, solely due to an increase in Greek national employment.