Greece’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameus, said there would be an incremental increase in Greece’s minimum wages after 2027, in addition to the gradual average rise to 950 euros announced by the Greek Prime Minister until 2027.

Speaking on Greek TV station Skai TV, Kerameus explained that a scientific committee had tabled proposals based on a mathematical formula to comply with a directive for the increase of the minimum wage.

According to the findings of the scientific committee, the increase in the minimum wage will be determined by the following indicators:

  • First, the purchasing power of wages, taking into account the cost of living.
  • Second, the general level and distribution of wages.
  • Third, the rate of wage growth.
  • Fourth, long-term productivity levels.

The Minister of Labor and Social Security underlined that the government was focusing on determining the means and amount of the increase for Greece’s minimum wages after 2027, as a roadmap has already been laid out by the Prime Minister up until that year, with the minimum wage expected to reach €950.

“We are currently at €830, and there will be a new increase this coming spring. By 2027, we will reach €950, which is a 46% increase from the €650 we inherited in 2019,” she stated.

She added: “A scientific committee proposed the use of a mathematical formula that will consider both price increases—meaning as prices rise, so will the minimum wage—and the performance of the Greek economy, including productivity, overall wage levels, and so on. Therefore, as things improve, the wage will rise, but if conditions worsen, the wage cannot be reduced. This will be explicitly provided for in the legislation that will be submitted to Parliament.”

Commenting on the country’s unemployment rate, Kerameus pointed out that Greece was facing a different challenge now compared to 2019, stressing that the focus was not so much on decreasing the number of unemployed people, but rather on creating specialized jobs in the labor market.

Kerameus said the government was developing a range of in-demand skills in the market, such as green skills related to renewable energy sources and digital skills, particularly in writing algorithms.

She added the policies were focused on providing training for sought-after professions through apprenticeship schools, such as renewable energy technicians, plumbing technicians, cooking, and pastry-making—professions with 100% absorption into the labor market.