Covid-19 Pushes Unemployment in Greece Up to 18.3% in June

Greece’s unemployment rate rose to 18.3 percent in June from an upwardly revised 17.3 percent reading in May, according to data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

“In June, the labor market was affected by the continuation of the suspension of operation (full or partial) of businesses in certain sectors of the economy, i.e. seasonal accommodation, arts, recreation and entertainment, organisation of conventions and trade shows, due to the measures taken to protect public health and tackle the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic,” ELSTAT said.

According to the seasonally adjusted data, the number of employed in June amounted to 3,744,630 persons, up by 11,640 compared with May 2020 (an increase of 0.3 percent).

The total number of unemployed in June amounted to 836,637 individuals, up by 58,146 persons compared with May 2020 (an increase of 7.5 percent).

Moreover, ELSTAT’s data showed that the jobless rate for those aged 15 to 24 in June rose to 39.3 percent from 34.4 percent in the same month in 2019.

By region, the highest percentages of unemployment in Greece in June were recorded in the Aegean (28.6 percent in June 2020 from 13.8 percent in June 2019), in Crete (20.9 percent from 11.4 percent) and in Macedonia-Thrace (20.5 percent from 18.7 percent).