Data show 20,000 more jobs created in December
The Greek labor market expanded by almost 20,000 salaried jobs in December, Labor Ministry data showed on Monday, with minister Yiannis Vroutsis expressing optimism that unemployment will start contracting within 2014.
The number of hirings exceeded sackings by 19,999 last month, according to the Ergani register of the labor market, as 109,797 people found a salaried job while 89,798 lost one. December was the eighth of 12 months last year when hirings outnumbered sackings, with the regsiter showing 1,149,194 hirings throughout the year, marking a 35.2 percent increase from 2012.
“The labor market stablizing while the growth rate of unemployment is in constant decline, Vroutsis said. “From 44.4 percent in June 2012 it fell to just 5.9 percent in September 2013,” stated Vroutsis.
Employment indices have increasing since April 2013, he said, adding that “this trend will continue, and combined with the further promotion of policies for economic growth and against undeclared and uninsured labor, it will lead to a decline in unemployment in the new year.”
