city-4991094_1920

The demand for skills in Greece: hiring, training and remuneration practices

Principal Investigator: Prof Vassilis Monastiriotis

Research team: Dr Ioannis Laliotis, Dr Eleni Kyrkopoulou, Dr Giorgos Melios, Mr Andrianos Apostolou

Duration: January 2024 – December 2026

 Overview

This research project, conducted by a team at the Hellenic Observatory and led by Prof Monastiriotis, investigates the landscape of skills demand in Greece. In an era of rapid technological shifts and economic transformation, understanding the labour market’s skill requirements is crucial for shaping policy, education, and workforce strategies.

At the core of the project is a large-scale employer survey, conducted in collaboration with the Greek section of the Adecco Group, that explores key aspects of workforce demand, including employers' preferences for different skill sets and worker characteristics. The study delves into the provision of training—with a particular focus on green and digital skills—to assess how firms equip employees for emerging challenges. Additionally, it examines how employers reward and value skills, including the role of work tenure in shaping compensation and career progression.

The project is expected to lead to a number of academic outputs, including:

  • A study on age discrimination, providing insight into how workforce demographics impact hiring decisions in relation to the skill requirements of jobs.
  • A paper mapping the skills demand landscape in the Greek economy, identifying gaps and opportunities for policy intervention.
  • An analysis of the demand for human capital repatriation, measuring for the first time employers’ hiring preferences for skilled professionals returning to Greece and the factors affecting them.

The project deploys advanced quantitative techniques (applied econometrics and quasi-experimental methods), seeking to make both an analytical contribution to the wider literature on skills and a contribution to current public debates about brain drain, skill shortages and economic transformation in Greece. The team—comprising Dr Laliotis, Dr Kyrkopoulou, Dr Melios, and Mr Apostolou—brings together expertise in labour economics, policy analysis, and applied research to deliver a comprehensive picture of Greece’s evolving labour market.

This study forms part of our wider research theme on Growth, within our Economy & Public Policy cluster.

*Funding: self-funded by the Hellenic Observatory 


Publications 

  • “Ζήτηση δεξιοτήτων και διαδικασίες πρόσληψης & μισθοδοσίας του Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού στην Ελλάδα” [Demand for skills and HR hiring & remuneration practices in Greece”], White Paper prepared by Vassilis Monastiriotis, Ioannis Laliotis, Eleni Kyrkopoulou and Andrianos Apostolou, published by Adecco Hellas. 

Presentations


Research Team

Monastiriotis-Vasilis 200x200

Principal investigator

Vassilis Monastiriotis, Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus – Hellenic Observatory (HO Centre)

 

LaliotisIoannis 200x200

Co-investigator

Ioannis Laliotis, University of Patras and Affiliate, HO Centre 

 

EleniKyrkopoulou 200x200

Co-investigator

Eleni Kyrkopoulou, Piraeus University and Affiliate, HO Centre

MeliosGeorge 200x200

Co-investigator

George Melios, Research Officer, HO Centre 

ApostolouAndrianos 200x200

Co-investigator

Andrianos Apostolou, Research Assistant, HO Centre