A double message regarding the use of the digital work card for more than 1.5 million salaried employees in the private sector is being called on to be decoded by the leadership of the Ministry of Labour in cooperation with the Independent Labour Inspection Authority, just a few days before the universal implementation of the measure for an additional half a million workers. On the one hand, the measure appears to “unlock” and bring to light thousands of hours of overtime work that previously remained in the dark. On the other hand, the volume of violations and the millions of euros in fines imposed prove that compliance is still far from being considered universal.
It is indicative that, according to the available data for the 7-month period January - July 2026, recorded overtime in the sectors that have been included in the DWC showed a sharp increase of +37% compared to the corresponding period in 2025. In absolute numbers, approximately 5.7 million hours of overtime were declared, that is, 1.5 million more hours compared to 2025 (4.2 million hours).
The largest percentage increase in the 7-month period was recorded by Wholesale Trade (+213%), Administrative & Support Activities (+173%), Food Service (+67%), Financial Services (+50%), Supermarkets (+48%), as well as Tourism and Retail Trade (+20%). In absolute number of hours, the largest contribution came from Wholesale Trade (+594,928 hours), Food Service (+323,049 hours) and Industry (+267,916 hours).
A similar picture was seen in July 2026, with overtime also moving at +37% on an annual basis. The highest growth rates in July were recorded by Wholesale Trade (+229%) and Administrative Services (+160%), while by contrast a decrease was recorded in Insurance (-8%) and in Banks (-13%).
At the same time, and despite the increase in declared hours, non-compliance remains high, confirming that there is still considerable room for the full cleanup of the market.
According to data from the Labour Inspectorate, in the eight-month period January – August, 55,403 inspections were carried out nationwide, during which 11,437 violations were recorded and fines totaling 34,601,616 euros were imposed. Specifically for labor relations (in 31,360 inspections), 8,220 violations were confirmed amounting to 29,003,640 euros.
The use or improper use of the Digital Work Card emerged as the “champion” of violations with 2,299 cases and fines reaching 9,922,900 euros. This was followed by:
- Non-payment of accrued wages and allowances: 1,198 violations (3,078,500 euros)
- Refusal of entry/access and provision of information: 876 violations (1,827,280 euros)
- Undeclared work: 844 violations (9,450,000 euros)
- Failure to comply with obligations and procedures: 829 violations (882,540 euros)
A similar trend was also seen in August, amid the summer period. In 6,334 inspections by the Independent Authority, fines of 3.65 million euros were imposed for 1,184 violations. Once again, the Digital Card took first place with 304 violations and 1,253,400 euros in fines, surpassing non-payment of accrued wages (124 violations) and undeclared work (97 violations).