Greece Jobless Rate Rose to 7.6% in September

Greece’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.6% in September 2026, following a more than eighteen-year low of 7.4% in the previous month. The number of unemployed individuals climbed by 7.5 thousand month-on-month to 359.6 thousand. Unemployment among women remained significantly higher than among men, standing at 10.5% compared with 5.2%. Meanwhile, the number of people outside the labour force, defined as those under 75 who are neither employed nor seeking work, fell by 2.7 thousand to 2,949.1 thousand. Employment also decreased by 9 thousand, bringing the total number of employed individuals to around 4,391.2 thousand.

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.