Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Greece (Ratification: 1955)

The Committee notes the observations of the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE), received on 1 September 2023, and the Government’s response thereto, received on 16 November 2023.

Article 1 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Committee notes the information provided on the legislative changes that occurred during the reporting period. It notes in this regard the Government’s indication that the Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) was renamed Public Employment Service (DYPA), pursuant to Law No. 4921/2022, which introduced significant changes to the employment service in response to socio-economic and technological developments and challenges. The modernization of the OAED had, as a strategic objective, its transformation into a modern and flexible public employment service inspired by European best practices, with the aim of a more rapid and effective reintegration of the unemployed into the labour market, the rewarding of those who actively seek employment, and upgrading their skills. As of 2022, the DYPA has a new organisational structure, primarily aimed at upgrading and enhancing its services and overall mission. The Government indicates that, through its established Employment Promotion Centres (KPA2), the DYPA continues to ensure the best possible organization of the employment market as an integral part of the national programme for the achievement and maintenance of full employment and the development and use of productive resources. The Committee notes that the number of KPA2 decreased from 119 to 116. At the same time, the number of Offices for Special Groups (EKO) decreased from 6 to 2 (more specifically, in Athens and Thessaloniki). The Government indicates, however, that the 4 EKO offices were not abolished; they were integrated with the respective KPA2. With regard to the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment, the Committee previously noted that, in 2014, there were 52,671 published vacancies; and 47,404 placements. It notes that, during the 2015–23 period, the lowest number of vacancies recorded was 37,060 in 2016 (with 20,521 persons placed in employment), and the highest was 94,439 vacancies in 2020 (with 59,202 persons placed in employment). The Committee requests the Government to provide an assessment of the changes made to the public employment service, and the impact of this restructuring on achieving full employment as well as the best possible organization of the employment service as an integral part of the national programme for reducing unemployment which remains a significant issue in the country. It also requests the Government to also share its assessment of the reduction of the number of Offices for Special Groups (EKO) from 6 to 2 and their mainstreaming with the Employment Promotion Centres (KPA2), in view of the need to protect the most vulnerable and strengthen social cohesion. In addition, the Committee asks the Government to indicate measures taken or envisaged in order to upgrade skills and avoid situations of skills mismatch between the skills of job seekers and the needs of employers. The Government is further requested to continue to provide information on the number of public employment offices established by the OAED, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by the offices.

Articles 4 and 5. Cooperation with employers’ and workers’ representatives. The Government indicates that, in order to achieve greater flexibility, the new composition of the Public Employment Service’s Board of Directors has reduced the number of social partners’ representatives from 18 to 11. It further indicates that, under Law No. 4921/2022, the Council of Social Partners was established, which is a collective body operating as the administrative body of DYPA. Its main responsibility is to provide advice to the Board of Directors of DYPA on its own initiative or if invited by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, or by the Board of Directors of DYPA. In its observations, the GSEE expresses concern that the fundamental transformation of the OAED into the DYPA will have a negative impact on the application of the Convention. Referring to the restructuring of the governance of the OAED, the GSEE highlights that DYPA lacks the ability to effectively intervene in the labour market due to limited social partner participation and direct government control. The GSEE adds that the establishment of a Council of Social Partners is an insufficient compensation for this loss, as it holds only advisory power and lacks influence. The GSEE recalls that participation in the Administrative Body of the OAED was tripartite, with equal representation of the State, the national employers’ organizations and workers’ organizations. The Committee recalls that the Convention requires suitable arrangements to be made through advisory committees for the co-operation of representatives of employers and workers in the organisation and operation of the employment service and in the development of employment service policy (Article 4). These advisory committees therefore need to have a capacity to influence the manner in which the employment service is organized and operates as well as the development of the employment service policy. The Committee therefore requests the Government to respond to the comments of the GSEE and provide information on the manner in which the social partners are associated to the operation and organization of the public employment service and in the development of employment service policy.

Article 11. Cooperation with private employment agencies. The Government indicates that DYPA does not cooperate with private employment agencies. DYPA offers job placement services at both the local and central level. Private employment agencies can only be licensed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. In addition to Article 11 of the Convention which requires State parties to take the necessary measures to secure effective co-operation between the public employment service and private employment agencies, the Committee also refers to Paragraph 16 of the Private Employment Agencies Recommendation, 1997 (No. 188), which encourages the cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies for the effective implementation of a national policy on organizing the labour market. Measures to promote cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies could include: (a) pooling of information and use of common terminology so as to improve transparency of labour market functioning; (b) exchanging vacancy notices; (c) launching of joint projects, for example in training; (d) concluding agreements between the public employment service and private employment agencies regarding the execution of certain activities, such as projects for the integration of the long-term unemployed; (e) training of staff; and (f) consulting regularly with a view to improving professional practices (Paragraph 17 of Recommendation No. 188). The Committee considers that the absence of such a cooperation and coordination between these two important labour market institutions could represent an obstacle to the effective implementation of the objectives of the national employment service policy and wishes to stress the importance of fostering strong partnerships between public and private employment services to create more dynamic and responsive labour markets. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to secure effective cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies with a view to the effective implementation of the employment service policy.