By Kostas Katikos
Record employment growth of 63,689 net new jobs was recorded last March in the labor market and is the highest March performance since 2001 in the balance of hiring – leaving.
According to the figures of the Ministry of Labor in March, the recruitment announcements at “Ergani” amounted to 252,606, while the departures amounted to 188,917. Of the 188,917 total departures, 79,642 came from voluntary departures and 109,275 from terminations of open-ended contracts or terminations of fixed-term contracts with the hiring – leaving balance being positive by 63,689 jobs and exceeding the March 2023 balance which was positive by 61,912 jobs.
53% of March hires were full-time and 47% part-time and rotating.
In March, five new business contracts were submitted to the Ministry of Labor for 8,874 workers (most of them in the prefecture of Attica) with an average wage increase of 4.38%.
The most hiring in March was in 5 industries that also had the best balance of job growth after departures.
According to the data of the “Ergani” report:
– 28,179 new hires were made in tourist accommodation with an increase in employment after departures by 20,481 new jobs.
– In catering, 75,386 recruitments were made with an increase in employment after the departures by 12,916 jobs.
– In the retail trade, 17,457 recruitments were made with an increase in employment after the departures by 3,101 jobs.
– In Wholesale trade, 12,325 new hires were made with an increase in employment after the departures by 2,361 jobs
– In Public administration, defense and social security, 4,115 recruitments were made with an increase in employment after the departures by 1,939 jobs.
Positive by 56,235 new jobs is the overall employment balance for the first quarter of 2024, being the second highest first quarter performance since 2001 to date, and even despite the fact that January entered with a negative balance (loss) of 31,997 jobs.
Cumulatively for the period January – March 2024, recruitment announcements amounted to 644,069 jobs and departures reached 587,834, of which 349,117 were the result of termination of open-ended contracts or expiry of fixed-term contracts and 238,717 voluntary departures.
