More than 4 in 10 employers cannot find the right workers

By Christina Kopsini

The unemployment rate may still be high in Greece, but four in every 10 employers (from a sample of 750) state that they face difficulties finding the appropriate staff to cover their personnel requirements, a survey by Manpower Group has found.

The “talent shortfall survey” for 2014 has found that “42 percent of employers are finding it difficult to cover posts in Greece.” This is four percentage points above the previous survey in 2013 and six points above the global average of 36 percent.

Manpower comments that these figures confirm significant shortfalls in the Greek labor market. The deficits concern the necessary experience (42 percent), technical skills (29 percent), professional skills (19 percent) and available candidates (18 percent).

Regarding the impact of this shortfall on enterprises, 66 percent of participating employers responded that the posts that remain vacant due to the difficulty in finding the right employees have a medium to high impact on the enterprises’ ability to meet their clients’ requirements. The international average rate in this respect amounts to 54 percent, which is the same as the rate in Greece last year.

The hardest posts to fill 2014 have been those for professional salespeople, senior officers, specialized handymen, accounting and financial staff, menial workers, machinery operators and sales directors.

“There are two dominant trends nowadays,” said Manpower’s CEO Venetia Kousia. “Senior officers and sales officers on any level remain hard to find due to the lack of necessary skills, and professions perceived as second-rate such as menial workers also have a limited supply of candidates due to population movements and demographics.”