Current Region & Language

Greece

Employment in Greece

Updated on: April 1, 2025

Currency

Euro

Employer Taxes

Employers pay about 24.5% of gross salaries for social security.

Payroll Frequency

Monthly

Language

Greek

Date Format

DD/MM/YYYY

Greece By The Numbers

10 million

Population

EUR 250 billion

GDP

9

National Holidays

Country Information

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Weekly Working Hours

Regular working hours are limited to 40 hours. Work in excess of this is deemded "extra work" and subject to a premium pay rate of 20% above the normal hourly rate. The statutory maximum weekly working time cannot exceed 48 hours, including "extra work" and overtime, on average over a reference period of up to four months. Work in excess of 45 hours per week is treated as overtime, Overtime in excess of 150 hours per annum and not notified as required must be remunerated at 120% above the standard rate.

National Holidays

  • New Year’s Day
  • Epiphany
  • Clean Monday
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Assumption of Mary
  • Ochi Day
  • Christmas Day
  • St. Stephen’s Day

Leave

Employees are entitled to various types of leave, including holiday leave, sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, study leave, and school leave. Additionally, employees may take caretaker leave for family members in need of care, marriage leave, and bereavement leave in the event of the death of a spouse, ascendants, descendants, or dependents. Union leaders may also be entitled to leave to exercise their mandates. Other leave types include adoption leave and leave for participation in elections. Specific details about the duration and eligibility for each type of leave may vary depending on applicable laws and collective agreements.

Employment Contracts

A minimum terms statement must be agreed upon in writing. By law, a written employment contract is required for part-time or rotation employment, temporary work, or when renewing a fixed-term employment contract. This ensures transparency and clarity between the employer and employee regarding the terms of employment.

Types of Employment

Employees, temporary agency workers, and independent contractors are all recognized types of employment.

Employment Costs

There are no specific requirements regarding employment costs.

IC Class Factors

A status assessment is a comprehensive process that depends on various factors, and a holistic approach is necessary to determine the outcome. Key considerations include, but are not limited to, evaluating the degree of control over the individual, their subordination within the organization, exclusivity of the relationship, the economic risks borne by the individual, their integration into the organization, the possibility of subcontracting work, and the right to substitution.

Labor Leasing

The placement of contingent or temporary workers at third party sites requires a labor leasing license.

It is contingent on the end user (the company receiving the labor) having a local presence in the country. This means that for labor leasing to occur, the company must be established and operating in Greece.

Minimum Wage Requirements

Since June 2024, the national minimum wage in Greece remained fixed at 968.3 per month (11,620 euros per year) taking into account 12 payments per year.

Medical Benefits

In Greece, for the first 3 days of sickness, the employer is required to pay half of the wages due. Starting from the 4th day of sickness, the e-National Social Security Fund (e-EFKA) provides sickness benefits to eligible employees, under certain conditions. Employees are entitled to sickness benefits only if they have provided services for at least 10 days. If sickness occurs during the first year of employment, the employee is entitled to half a month’s pay. If sickness occurs after the first year of employment, the employee is entitled to one month’s pay.

Probationary Periods

The probationary period can be a maximum of 6 months.

Termination Notice

In Greece, the required prior notice for dismissal is based on the length of service. For employees who have served between 12 full months and 2 years, a notice of 1 month is required. For employees with 2 to 5 years of service, the notice period increases to 2 months. Employees who have served between 5 and 10 years must be given a 3-month notice before dismissal. For employees who have been with the company for 10 years or more, the notice period is extended to 4 months.

Severance

The actual amount of the statutory severance depends on the completed years of service of the employee with the employer. The basic severance amount is capped to 12 monthly salaries.

An employer who opts to terminate an indefinite term employment contract without prior notice must pay to the dismissed employee severance pay as follows, unless higher severance pay is due under contract or custom:

– over 1 year and up to 4 years of employment, entitled is 2 months compensation
– from 4 years and up to 6 years of employment, entitled is 3 months compensation
– from 6 years and up to 8 years of employment, entitled is 4 months compensation
– from 8 years and up to 10 years of employment, entitled is 5 months compensation
– for 10 years of employment, entitled is 6 months compensation
– for 11 years of employment, entitled is 7 months compensation
– for 12 years of employment, entitled is 8 months compensation
– for 13 years of employment, entitled is 9 months compensation
– for 14 years of employment, entitled is 10 months compensation
– for 15 years of employment, entitled is 11 months compensation
– for 16 years or more of employment, entitled is 12 months compensation

Employees who had completed more than 17 years of service with the same employer on November 12, 2012 are entitled to an additional severance of 1 monthly salary per year of service (over the 17 years) and up to 12 monthly salaries. For definite-term contracts, If contract ends before its term: (without any legal reason) the employer must pay all wages due up to the end of the term.

Pre-hire Checks

Immigration checks are generally required for expatriates.
Personal information of Personnel, according to Data Protection Law, requires the applicant’s consent.

Specific consent is required for sensitive information such as a Personnel’s health information for health insurance benefit application processes.

Credit checks and criminal records are permissible only for specific job positions, as stipulated by law and only if absolutely indispensable, ensuring the right to privacy.

The restrictions on pregnancy tests and the obligation for medical exams are allowed in certain circumstances.

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