Each and every month unemployment in Greece hits new records, with the latest report of the Greek Statistics Authority to state that the jobless rate for March climber at 16,2% ! A month earlier, February 2011, the jobless rate was at 15.9% , while a year earlier (Marc 2010) the rate was at 11.6 %). According to the data of the Hellenic Statistical Authority , 811,000 people are currently without a job.
Among the group of young employees unemployment reached 42.5% (18-24 yrs old) and 22.6 % (25-34 yrs olod). Women are without job at 19.5% and men at 13.8% in all groups of all ages. Among the regions of Greece, the Ionian Islands, in the west of the country, lead with 24.5%, followed by Western Macedonia with 20.6%. In the Attica prefecture, unemployment is as high as 15.8%.
The statistics on unemployment rates refer only to employees and do not include the self-employees. Last years’ IMF/EU/ECB bailout of Greece with strict austerity measures including hikes in direct and indirect taxes strangulated the consumption and forced many businesses to close down.
The so-called “II. Austerity Package” or Mid-Term Budget Plan for 2011-2015, currently debated among government ministers and lawmakers, is expected to give another punch on the face of the economy and drive recession into new heights as it plans to raise the social security contributions, lower the ‘tax free’ business revenues at 6,000 euro per year and raise the real estate taxes. Not to mention the new tax hikes, and ‘special contributions – see: taxes’ to almost every group of the society.
So far, it has not been know as to whether a special tax will be implemented to each cubic meter of inhaled Greek air.
Don’t forget the very lucrative ‘sunshine-tax’! Also applicable to tourists. They might have the opportunity to buy a combined sunshine/air-vignette, like the once you can buy for the Autobahn in Austria and Switzerland.
(BTW are there no unemployment figures at all about self-employed???)