Introduction

Greek economy had deeply been affected by the  global financial crisis of 2009 and 2010.
As a consequence, growth fell to -2.3% in the first quarter of 2010 and unemployment rose nevertheless of the high rates of growth it had had recorded up until 2008 (thanks mainly to the organisation of the Athens Olympic Games).

As unemployment has become one of the most oppressing problems for the most Member-States of the European Union from the beginning of the eighties (which becomes worse due to structural changes, technological development and the economical crisis) in Greece and only in the first quarter of 2010, it stood at 11.7%, as against 9.3% in the same quarter of 2009.

At the same time, the participation of the working age population (15-64 years of age) in the labour force stands at 69%, in the country, (in a population of about 11000000).
 
Moreover, and in contrast with other EU countries, most employment is full time, despite the statutory introduction of flexible forms of employment: part-time workers account for 6.4% of total employment, when the EU average is 18.5%.
Of the total number of people employed in the Greek labour market, 62.5% are waged or salaried, 22.6% are self-employed without staff, 8.2% are self-employed with staff (that is to say are employers) and 6.6% are assistants in the family business.
In parallel, there are more than 1000000 foreign workers in the country; migrants come from Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Russia. Almost a quarter of all foreign workers are employed in constructio, agriculture, the processing industries and private households employing women as domestic helpers follow in order of importance.

Labour mobility in Greece is rather limited in comparison with other European countries. This is due to the exceptionally high rate of home ownership (80%)
Most enterprises (more than 80%) are small in terms of turnover (up to 150 000 euro).The main job types for which enterprises have requirements are: salespersons, office workers, waiters, hairdressers, building workers, financial services workers, plumbers, vehicle mechanics, luggage porters and technicians.