The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) announced the results of the Labor Force Survey for the first quarter of 2026.
The number of employed persons stood at 4,272,151, representing a decrease of 1.8% compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 1.3% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The number of unemployed reached 508,401, representing an increase of 28.7% compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 4.2% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2026 stood at 10.6%. The unemployment rate in the previous quarter (Q4 2025) was 8.3%, and in the corresponding quarter of the previous year (Q1 2025) it was 10.4%.
The number of people not included in the labor force, or “people outside the labor force”—that is, those who are neither working nor looking for work—stood at 4,211,638. Specifically, the number of people outside the labor force under the age of 75 stood at 2,958,916. This figure decreased by 1.4% compared to the previous quarter and by 3.5% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The highest unemployment rates are observed among women, people aged 15–19, in the South Aegean Region, and among those who have completed only a few years of elementary school. The largest share of the labor force is observed among men, people aged 30–44, in the Attica Region, among those who have completed post-secondary education, and among foreign nationals.
In the first quarter of 2026, the largest share of employed individuals worked as employees (71.9%), while the share of self-employed individuals without staff (18.0%) was also significant.
The part-time employment rate stands at 5.2%, representing a decrease of 3.8% compared to the previous quarter and a decrease of 11.0% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The percentage of people in temporary employment stands at 7.3%, marking a decrease of 20.1% compared to the previous quarter and a decrease of 2.3% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The occupations with the highest percentage of employed individuals are professionals (23.3%) and service workers and salespeople (21.9%). Compared to the previous quarter, the largest increase was observed among professionals (3.5%), while the largest decrease was observed among senior managers and executives (-7.5%). Compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the largest increase is observed among unskilled workers, manual laborers, and small business owners (13.9%), while the largest decrease was observed among skilled farmers, livestock breeders, foresters, and fishermen (-9.9%).
In terms of the evolution of the distribution of the employed population across broad occupational groups, it is observed that, starting in the first quarter of 2014, the percentage of workers in low-skilled non-manual occupations increased—a trend that reversed to some extent starting in 2021, while showing an uptick again starting in 2023. The percentage of workers in skilled manual occupations declines through 2020, rises in early 2021, and has since stabilized at 2014 levels.
The percentage in highly skilled non-manual occupations has been on an upward trend since 2015, with some fluctuations, while the percentage of those employed in elementary occupations has been relatively stable with an upward trend in recent quarters. The percentage of people employed in agriculture, forestry, livestock farming, and fishing has been on a downward trend since 2014, which has intensified since 2024.
Working Hours
52.2% of employees report working 40–47 hours during thereference week, while a significant proportion (14.9%) report working 48 or more hours. The majority of employed individuals (74%) report working their usual hours during the reference week. 5.8% of employed individuals report that they would like to work more hours, 1.8% are underemployed part-time workers who would like to work more and could start working more within the next two weeks, and 1.3% have more than one job.
Characteristics of the Unemployed
The survey data show that the main reason the unemployed stopped working is that their job was temporary and ended (41.3%). The percentage of unemployed people who have never worked before (newly unemployed) is 18.6%.
The percentage of unemployed people who have been looking for work for one year or more (long-term unemployed) stands at 49.0%. The majority of unemployed people have completed at least secondary education (61.2%). The percentage of unemployed individuals who state that they are not registered with the Public Employment Service (formerly OAED) stands at 16.8%, while the percentage of those who state that they receive benefits or assistance from the Public Employment Service stands at 23%.
The highest unemployment rates are observed in the South Aegean and Ionian Islands Regions, while the lowest are in the North Aegean and Central Greece Regions.
Characteristics of persons outside the labor force
The majority of people outside the labor force, aged 15–74, have either never worked before (47.3%) or have been out of work for more than 8 years since their last job (28.1%). Of those who worked within the last 8 years, the largest proportion stopped working because they retired (59.8%) or because their job was temporary and ended (18.6%).
93.3% of people outside the labor force state that they do not want to work. 1.4% state that they are looking for work but are not immediately available to take a job, while 2.5% state that they are available to take a job immediately but are not looking.
*See the ELSTAT bulletin on the right in the "Related Materials" column.