Unemployment in Greece fell to 9.8% in the second quarter of the year from 12.1% in the first quarter, according to data published by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) on Thursday.

The number of employed persons stood at 4,327,825, up 3.7% from the previous quarter and up 2.2% from the same quarter last year, according to the Labour Force Survey for the second quarter of 2024.

Compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, according to the survey, the largest increase is observed in service and sales workers (6.8%), while a decrease is observed mainly in unskilled workers, manual workers and small professionals (-8.9%) and technicians and related occupations (-6.3%).

Specifically, the number of unemployed persons amounted to 467,619, a decrease of 18.6% compared to the previous quarter and a decrease of 12.3% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The unemployment rate in Q2 2024 was 9.8%. The unemployment rate in the previous quarter (Q1 2024) was 12.1% and in the corresponding quarter of the previous year (Q2 2023) was 11.2%.

Persons not in the labour force, or "persons outside the labour force", i.e. persons neither working nor seeking work, amounted to 4,225,028. In particular, persons outside the labour force under 75 years of age amounted to 2,994,624. Their share decreased by 1.8% compared to the previous quarter and by 1.5% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

The highest unemployment rates are observed among women, people aged up to 24 years, in the Region of Western Macedonia and people who have completed up to a few primary school grades. The highest labour force participation rates are observed among men, people aged 30-44 years, in the South Aegean Region, people who have completed post-secondary education and people of foreign nationality.