Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ touted “success story” for Greece is floundering again in the wake of statistics that showed nearly 35,000 jobs more were lost than created in October, according to the Labor Ministry’s Ergani database, which records hirings and firings, worsening the country’s already record 27.6 percent unemployment rate.
There were 138,408 hirings in October, but another 173,407 people lost their jobs. Of those, 132,199 were dismissals and another 41,208 were voluntary redundancies.
Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis said the figures were to be expected for October as it is the first month after the peaks tourism season concludes in Greece. Tourism provided a big boost during the height of the season but the “bump” effect is already wearing off.
Vroutsis also said the deficit between hirings and firings was smaller than in the same month in previous years and that since January, there have been 130,703 more positions created than lost, a minimal amount compared to the nearly 1.4 million people who are out of work.
Austerity measures demanded by international lenders are being imposed by the coalition government of the ruling New Democracy Conservatives and their partner, the PASOK Socialists, the two parties who created the economic crisis largely by hiring hundreds of thousands of needless workers in return for voters, many of whom the administration is now charged with firing to reduce the bloated public workforce.
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