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
Currency :
Euro (€, EUR)
Languages spoken :
Greek
Population :
10.66 million (2021 est.)
Minimum wage 2023 :
€780 (monthly)
Cost of Living index :
$$$ (41 of 139 countries)
Payroll Frequency :
Monthly
VAT - standard rate :
24%
GDP - real growth rate :
8.3% (2021 est.)

Statutory Holidays

The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2024.

Date
Holiday Name
Extra Information
January 1
New Year's Day
January 6
Epiphany
February 27
Shrove Monday
Movable
March 25
Independence Day
May 1
Labor Day
May 3
Good Friday
Movable
May 5
Easter Sunday
Movable
May 6
Easter Monday
Movable
June 23
Orthodox Whit Sunday
Movable
June 24
Orthodox Whit Monday
Movable
August 15
Assumption
October 28
Ochi Day (National Day)
December 25
Christmas Day
December 26
Boxing Day

Contract Sharing Time


The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Greece is 7 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.

What You Need To Know


  • 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.

Labor Conditions


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

Leave / Time Off

Annual Leave

During the first year of employment, annual leave is granted by the employer on a pro-rata basis in proportion to the length of time the employee has been employed by that employee based on 20 working days. Employees with more years of service with the same employer get more annual leave days.

Years of service Annual leave entitlement
1st year of service Given on a pro-rata; calculated on a basis of 20 working days
2nd to 3rd year of service One day increment per year

Limit:

22 days for those working 5 days per week

26 days for those working 6 days per week

After 10 years with the same employer or 12 with different employers 25 working days for a 5-day working system
After 25 years of service
  • 31 working days on a six-day working week system 
  • 26 working days on a five-day working week system,

Sick Leave

Sickness absence within set limits depends on the length of service. It is considered to be short-term and cannot be regarded as voluntary employee withdrawal. Sickness should be evidenced by a doctor’s certificate.

Sick leave duration

Years of service Sick leave duration
Up to 4 years Up to 1 month
4 to 10 years 3 months
More than 10 years 4 months
More than 10 years 6 months

Parental Leave

Working parents or people exercising parental responsibilities are entitled to four months of parental leave (continuously or intermittently) until the child reaches the age of eight years.

For the granting of parental leave, the working parent must have completed one year of consecutive or successive service with the same employer.

 

Reduced working hours for parents of children with a disability

Working parents in a workplace with at least 50 employees who have children with a mental, emotional, or physical disability, which are certified with a medical opinion, have the independent right for every child to ask for a reduction of their working hours by one hour per day, with a corresponding cut in their salaries. 

 

Leave due to hospitalization of children

Working parents are entitled to special parental leave without pay, in the case of hospitalization of the child, regardless of their age, due to illness or accident which necessitates the immediate presence of an employee, for as long as the treatment lasts and in any case not more than 30 working days per year.

 

Maternity Leave

Employees are entitled to 119 calendar days of paid maternity leave: 56 days before birth and 63 days after birth. 

The employer pays full earnings for 15 days (if the employee has been attached to the employer for at least 10 days to one year) or earnings up to one month (if employed for more than a year). The Social Security Fund pays 50% of the standard wage corresponding to the insurance contribution class of the insured person plus the child benefit at a rate of 10% of the above amount for each child for the rest of the maternity leave.

 

Paternity Leave

Every working father is entitled to 14 working days of paternity leave with remuneration, which must be taken in relation to childbirth.

This leave may either be granted two days before the expected date of birth, in which case the remaining 12 are granted, in whole or in part, within 30 days from the date of birth. Paternity leave may also be granted after the date of birth. During paternity leave, the employee receives a full wage from the employer.

 

Other Types of Paid Leave

Marriage Leave

In case of marriage or conclusion of a cohabitation agreement, six working days’ leave with remuneration is granted, provided that the employee is employed under a six-day working week whilst five working days are provided for those employed under a five-day working week system.

 

Leave due to serious illnesses of children

Working parents are entitled to special parental leave, lasting 10 working days per year, with pay, to address the needs of children up to 18 years of age.

 

Leave for single-parent families

Working parents who have been widowed or unmarried and have sole custody of a child are entitled to paid leave of six working days per year. An employee with three children or more is entitled to paid leave of eight working days per year.

 

Absence from work for reasons of force majeure

Up to two times a year and up to one working day at a time, the working parent or caregiver is entitled to be absent from work, with remuneration, for reasons of force majeure related to urgent family issues in case of illness or accident, which make the immediate presence of the employee necessary.

Permission to undergo medically assisted reproduction methods

Employees who undergo medically assisted reproduction are entitled to a paid leave of seven working days, following a certificate from the attending physician or the director of a medically assisted reproduction unit.

Unpaid Leave

Unpaid leave following an individual agreement with the employer

A full-time or part-time employee may, following an individual written agreement with the employer, take unpaid leave for a period not exceeding one year, which may be extended by agreement between the parties. 

 

Leave due to a child’s illness or another dependent member

Working parents have an individual and non-transferable right, upon request, to leave without pay for a period not exceeding six working days every calendar year, in case of illness-dependent children or other family members. This leave may be taken as a single or partial amount of eight working days if the beneficiary protects two children and 14 working days if it protects more than two.

Statutory Benefits

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 4.55% 4.55%
Other Funds 1.41% 1.89%
Total 22.29% 22.77%

Health Insurance

Public healthcare in Greece is run by the Greek National Organization for Healthcare Services Provision (EOPYY-Ελληνικός Εθνικός Οργανισμός Παροχής Υπηρεσιών Υγείας). The Greek national health system provides healthcare benefits/services through a network of public/state providers and contracted private providers of primary, hospital, and ambulatory care intended to ensure disease prevention and the promotion, preservation, improvement, recovery, and protection of health.

The system is financed by the state budget, social insurance contributions, and private payments. The employer contributes 4.55% towards healthcare in Greece.

Other Insurances

Accident Insurance

Salaried employees who are under the e-EFKA insurance scheme and are victims of an accident that either took place during work or in relation to work or while traveling to or from work are entitled to benefits in kind and in cash which are provided in the event of a work accident, regardless of the length of insurance coverage. In other words, it is sufficient to have one day of insurance.

Insured employees or pensioners who suffer from a chronic illness related to the hazards of their jobs are entitled to the benefits provided in the event of occupational disease.

Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment benefits (ΕΠΊΔΟΜΑ ΑΝΕΡΓΊΑΣ) are granted by the Labor Employment Office (OAED) to employees with unemployment insurance, who were dismissed or whose employment contracts expired, who are registered with an employment office, and are both willing and capable of working.

In order to be entitled to this benefit, employees are required to have worked for a period of at least 125 days during the 14 months prior to the termination of their employment or for a period of at least 200 days within the two years prior to the termination of their employment.

Unemployment benefits are funded by the social security system.

Public Pension

To be entitled to an old-age pension, one is required to have reached a certain age and to have accumulated a certain number of insurance days. The right to a pension can be exercised at any time and up until then, insured persons are entitled to continue working. The general age limit is 67 years and the minimum insurance period is 15 years (4,500 days of employment). 

The employer pays a contribution of 13.33% to the public pension.

Other Statutory Benefits

Supplementary Insurance

The Supplementary Funded Insurance Fund provides the insured with a predetermined life cycle investment program, which is evaluated by the board of directors as the most appropriate for the average insured person. Upon joining the supplementary insurance, the insured persons are automatically classified in the predetermined investment program. The Fund may provide policyholders with more than one life-cycle investment plan with differentiated investment risk than the predetermined one.

Both employer and employee contributions towards supplementary insurance are capped at 3% each.

Other funds

Employers are also mandated to pay additional contributions of 1.41% to the National Social Security Fund.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this Country Guide is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The contents of this Country Guide contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Country Guide without seeking the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for actions you take or fail to take based on any content included in this Country Guide.

Information provided in this Country Guide is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. WorkMotion Software GmbH periodically adds, changes, improves, updates, or removes information without notice, and assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the contents of this Country Guide. This Country Guide may contain links to other websites. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.