Stournaras: Migration essential to filling labor market gaps
Migrants are essential to filling the labor and skills gap in the domestic labor market, the governor of the Bank of Greece Yannis Stournaras has said.
Speaking at the 2nd MD Forum in Athens, Stournaras noted that Greece faces significant labor shortages in key sectors of the economy, such as tourism, agricultural production, industry and construction, and many jobs remain vacant.
Given the country’s demographic challenges and its aging population, the debate on the overall positive impact of migration on the Greek economy is more relevant than ever, he said.
Furthermore, migration due to climate change may surpass everything that went before it, as the ever-increasing frequency of extreme weather events will drastically increase global mobility, he continued.
“In this context, the host country’s responsibility to define the institutional framework for migrant inflows, to draw up strategies and develop policies that promote their integration into society is crucial,” he said.
“Improvements are also necessary in the more effective interconnection of immigration with the needs of the labor market and in the establishment of incentives to attract skilled immigrants,” he added. [AMNA]
