Lost in degrees: Why Greece produces graduates the market doesn’t need

While an electrician with 10 years of acquisition tin gain betwixt €2,500 and €2,800 per month, 1 successful 4 assemblage graduates successful Greece remains unemployed. At the aforesaid time, hundreds of companies study that they are actively seeking method professionals but cannot find them.

Each year, thousands of young radical postgraduate from universities and participate the labour marketplace without securing roles that lucifer their qualifications. Around 30% extremity up successful jobs for which they are overqualified, portion much than 2 successful 10 (24%) stay extracurricular the workforce altogether.

The spread betwixt the studies young radical take and the skills the marketplace demands is not new. However, arsenic highlighted astatine the Delphi Economic Forum, it remains deeper than galore are consenting to acknowledge.

“Technical professions are socially undervalued”

About 90% of secondary schoolhouse graduates successful Greece purpose to participate university, with 82% succeeding—one of the highest rates successful Europe, according to prof Giorgos Doukidis of the Athens University of Economics and Business.

“Technical professions proceed to beryllium socially undervalued. In Greece, occurrence is inactive intimately associated with world degrees, adjacent erstwhile the marketplace intelligibly shows that definite fields are already saturated,” noted Byron Nikolaidis, President and CEO of PeopleCert, who organized the treatment astatine the Delphi forum.

According to Doukidis, the contented is not the fig of graduates, but the disconnect betwixt the acquisition strategy and the labour market. Structured internships are implemented successful lone a tiny fig of assemblage departments. Where they bash exist, however, 72% of students are hired by the aforesaid companies.

A akin signifier tin beryllium seen crossed Europe. Germany faces a shortage of 400,000 positions successful method professions, portion successful France and the UK employers conflict to capable concern and method roles. In Greece, however, the effect to marketplace needs is slower.

“We are a state that has deindustrialized”

Despite higher wages successful method professions, families inactive thin to steer their children toward careers successful instrumentality oregon education.

The consequences widen beyond the labour market. “We are a state that has deindustrialized. We bash not nutrient arsenic overmuch arsenic we should,” stressed Spyros Theodoropoulos, President of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV).

Shortages successful fields specified arsenic concern electricians, applied engineers, and welders are making it hard for businesses to expand. Companies present origin successful the availability of specified skills erstwhile deciding wherever to invest.

“We request to flooded stereotypes”

Traditional “white-collar” professions, agelong associated with stability, are present nether unit from some marketplace saturation and artificial intelligence.

“The consciousness of information we associated with banking professions 10 years agone nary longer applies successful the aforesaid mode today,” said Elena Vrettou, CEO of Credia Bank, emphasizing that adaptability and continuous improvement are present key.

Countries specified arsenic Germany, Switzerland, and Austria person already adapted. In their acquisition systems, vocational grooming is not seen arsenic a secondary enactment but arsenic an arsenic invaluable way aligned with economical needs. In Greece, this speech is lone conscionable beginning.

“There are children with innate talents we cannot ignore. We request to determination beyond stereotypes, due to the fact that determination is much than 1 way to success,” said Theodoropoulos.

“Families inactive similar their kid to go a lawyer oregon a teacher, adjacent if prospects are limited, alternatively than prosecute a method assemblage with intelligibly higher demand,” added Nikolaidis.