Hire in Greece

Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. Greece stretches over a land area of 132,049 square kilometers. The country is also bordered to the east by the Aegean Sea, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and the west by the Ionian Sea. Greece’s main industries are tourism, shipping, industrial products, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining, and petroleum. 

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Greece.

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Hire in Greece through an

EOR

Easily onboard your remote talent in Greece through our Employer of Record (EOR) solution. Our subsidiaries and network partners make this process fast and 100% compliant.

A quick overview of Greece

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Cost of living index

$$$ (41 of 139 countries)

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Currency

Euro (€, EUR)

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Payroll frequency

Monthly

Basic facts

Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. Greece stretches over a land area of 132,049 square kilometers. The country is also bordered to the east by the Aegean Sea, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and the west by the Ionian Sea. Greece’s main industries are tourism, shipping, industrial products, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining, and petroleum. 

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Greece.

Capital

Athens

Official language/s

Greek

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Population

10.57 million (2023 est.)

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VAT - standard rate

24%

The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025.

January 1New Year's Day
January 6Epiphany
March 3Pure Monday (Monday of Lent)Movable
March 25Independence Day
April 18Good FridayMovable
April 20Easter SundayMovable
April 21Easter MondayMovable
May 1Labor Day
June 9Orthodox Whit MondayMovable
August 15Assumption Day
October 28Ochi Day (National Day)
December 25Christmas Day
December 26Boxing Day

The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Greece is 3 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal or external review, directly leading to a time delay.

NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimate of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.

  • The minimum wage varies based on an employee’s years of service and marital status.
  • The first 12 months of an indefinite employment contract are considered a probationary period.
  • An open-ended employment contract can be lawfully and validly terminated at any time without any cause.
  • The termination of employment contracts without complying with legal notice periods attracts a double payment of severance pay.
  • Remote work is governed by the teleworking provision found in the Greek labor law.

The great majority of individuals who are employed in the public and private sector and render dependent personal services are principally, directly, and compulsorily insured in the National Social Security Fund (e-EFKA) for old-age pension, maternity benefits, healthcare, unemployment benefits, and benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases. Apart from the main contribution, e-EFKA compulsorily collects contributions for other minor funds created for the employee’s benefit (Unemployment Benefits Funds, etc.).

 

Benefits Employer Contributions (Full-time employees) Employer Contributions (Part-time employees)
Pension Fund 13.33% 13.33%
Supplementary insurance 3% 3%
Health Insurance 4.05% 4.05%
Other Funds 1.41% 1.89%
Total 21.79% 22.27%

Working Hours
  • The normal statutory working week is 40 hours which may be broken down into five-day or six-day weekly work, in accordance with the provisions in force, the collective agreements, or arbitral awards. 
  • When the daily working time exceeds four consecutive hours, a break of 15 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes is granted

 

 Overtime
  • Employees are entitled to a 40% premium over the regular rate of pay for overtime work for each hour of overtime, up to 3 hours daily and up to 150 hours per year.
  • Any hour of overtime performed over the permissible legal overtime is declared to be illegal overtime and the employee gets compensation equal to the hourly wage increased by 120%.
  • In cases of urgent nature of work, which is deemed absolutely necessary and cannot be postponed, employees are entitled to a premium of 60% on the regular rate of pay.

 

Probation Period

In Greece, the first 12 months of an indefinite employment contract are considered a probationary period. 

Termination Notice Period

For the first 12 months, an open-ended employment contract can be terminated without notice or severance pay.

Thereafter, the employer is entitled to decide whether the employee will be dismissed with or without notice. If termination is carried out by the employer without notice, the employee will be entitled to full indemnity compensation.

Should the employer choose to terminate the employment contract with a notice period, the following guidelines must be followed:

 

Tenure Notice Period
0 to 12 months (Probation) No notice required
12 months to 2 years 1 month
2 to 5 years 2 months
5 to 10 years 3 months
More than 10 years 4 months
Working Hours
  • The normal statutory working week is 40 hours which may be broken down into five-day or six-day weekly work, in accordance with the provisions in force, the collective agreements, or arbitral awards. 
  • When the daily working time exceeds four consecutive hours, a break of 15 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes is granted

 

 Overtime
  • Employees are entitled to a 40% premium over the regular rate of pay for overtime work for each hour of overtime, up to 3 hours daily and up to 150 hours per year.
  • Any hour of overtime performed over the permissible legal overtime is declared to be illegal overtime and the employee gets compensation equal to the hourly wage increased by 120%.
  • In cases of urgent nature of work, which is deemed absolutely necessary and cannot be postponed, employees are entitled to a premium of 60% on the regular rate of pay.

 

Probation Period

In Greece, the first 12 months of an indefinite employment contract are considered a probationary period. 

Termination Notice Period

For the first 12 months, an open-ended employment contract can be terminated without notice or severance pay.

Thereafter, the employer is entitled to decide whether the employee will be dismissed with or without notice. If termination is carried out by the employer without notice, the employee will be entitled to full indemnity compensation.

Should the employer choose to terminate the employment contract with a notice period, the following guidelines must be followed:

 

Tenure Notice Period
0 to 12 months (Probation) No notice required
12 months to 2 years 1 month
2 to 5 years 2 months
5 to 10 years 3 months
More than 10 years 4 months

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The great majority of individuals who are employed in the public and private sector and render dependent personal services are principally, directly, and compulsorily insured in the National Social Security Fund (e-EFKA) for old-age pension, maternity benefits, healthcare, unemployment benefits, and benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases. Apart from the main contribution, e-EFKA compulsorily collects contributions for other minor funds created for the employee’s benefit (Unemployment Benefits Funds, etc.).

 

Benefits Employer Contributions (Full-time employees) Employer Contributions (Part-time employees)
Pension Fund 13.33% 13.33%
Supplementary insurance 3% 3%
Health Insurance 4.05% 4.05%
Other Funds 1.41% 1.89%
Total 21.79% 22.27%