Kerameos: Explosive 13% Increase in Employment of Seniors in Greece Over Five Years

During the European Union Employment Council meeting held in Brussels on Monday (March 10, 2025), Greece’s Minister of Labor and Social Insurance participated. The council focused on the challenges of the aging workforce transition and explored incentives and systemic solutions to promote voluntary, longer-term employment for older workers. In her intervention, Niki Kerameos highlighted Greece’s significant progress, noting that between 2018 and 2023, the employment rate for individuals aged 55–64 increased by more than 13 percentage points (from 40.8% in 2018 to 54.1% in 2023). This growth surpassed the EU average increase of over six units during the same period. The minister discussed government initiatives encouraging senior employment, such as eliminating pension cuts for working retirees and implementing targeted employment programs for those over 55 years old. A program by DYPA offers 27,000 jobs for people aged 55 and above in local government and public sector entities, with applications opening soon. Additionally, Kerameos praised Greece’s implementation of the ‘right to disconnect’ for remote workers and endorsed the EU’s new ‘Union of Skills’ initiative aimed at enhancing skill development and aligning it with educational systems across Europe.