Unemployment in Greece slightly decreased from 27.6% in January 2014 to 26.5% in February of the same year.However despite the slight improvement, there are still at least 1.3 million people without work. The real number is much higher as the Greek Statistics Authority (ELSTAT) takes into consideration only the unemployment among employees leaving aside the unemployment among the self-employed.
According to EUROSTAT Greece still has the highest unemployment among the EU-member states followed by Spain with 25.1%. Among the youth unemployment, Greece leads with 56.9% (higher than in Jan 2014 with 56.7%), followed by Spain with 53.5%.
Greece – February 2014
General unemployment 26.5%
Youth unemployment 56.9%
Men: 23.8%
Women 30%
Across the European Union, 25.47 million people are without job, while in the euro zone area the number of unemployed is 18.75 million people.
In Greece of recession and abolished labor rights, the daughters and sons of my friends get part-time jobs for 200-250 euro per month. Older generations with PhDs and work experience if they are lucky they get full-time jobs for 1000-1200 euro gross. That is an average of -250 or -300 euro net to feed families and kids, pay rent and utility bills, not to mention the over taxation based on ‘assumed’ but not real income and the several extra taxes for so-called solidarity and properties.
PS A friend, a devoted PASOK supporter, was telling me the other day, that the “train of success and development has just run over our bodies.”
