Greece Jobless Rate Lowest since May 2008

Greece’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 7.4% in August 2026 from 7.9% in July, reaching its lowest level since May 2008. The decline was supported by a reduction in the number of unemployed people, which fell by 25,656 from the previous month and by 67,181 from a year earlier to 350,800. Employment also strengthened, with the number of people in work rising by 17,322 month-on-month and 85,042 year-on-year to 4.41 million. Unemployment remained significantly higher among women, although the female rate declined to 10.3%, compared with 4.9% for men. Younger workers continued to face greater difficulties, with unemployment among those aged 15-24 standing at 15.6%, while the rate for people aged 25-74 was 6.9%. The number of people outside the labour force aged under 75 increased by 4,130 from July but was 60,682 lower than a year earlier, reaching 2.94 million.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Greece edged down to 7.9% in July 2026 from a revised 8.1% in the previous month. Among those aged 15–24, the unemployment rate was 16.8%, while it was 7.4% for the 25–74 age group. The number of unemployed individuals decreased by 8 thousand month-on-month and 45.2 thousand year-on-year to 376.5 thousand. Unemployment remained higher among women than men, with the rate for women falling to 10.4% from 11.0% in June, while the rate for men declined to 5.9% from 7.1%. Meanwhile, the number of employed persons increased by 1.7 thousand from the previous month and by 41.4 thousand from a year earlier, reaching 4,379.8 thousand. The number of people outside the labour force, those under 75 who are neither employed nor actively seeking employment, increased by 2.7 thousand from the previous month and by 35.5 thousand from July 2025, reaching 2,951.9 thousand.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Greece rose to 8.0% in June 2026, following a downwardly revised 7.8% growth in the previous month. The number of unemployed individuals increased by 12.4 thousand month-on-month to 381.8 thousand but decreased by 58.3 thousand individuals in the same month last year. Unemployment remained significantly higher among women than men, with rates of 10.4% for women and 6.0% for men. Meanwhile, the number of people outside the labour force, those under 75 who are neither employed nor actively seeking employment, fell by 33.0 thousand a month earlier and declined 37.0 thousand year-on-year. The total number of employed persons grew by 16.4 thousand from the prior month to 4,389.2 thousand.