To integrate hundreds, if not thousands of refugees and immigrants in key sectors of the Greek economy that suffer from a lack of manpower, the Government is attempting to exploit not bilateral agreements with third countries, but the «pool» of migrants and refugees who are already in the country, staying in structures for the time being, are skilled and can be quickly absorbed by businesses.
Refugees and migrants selected to work in fields, hotels and construction companies will be paid the minimum wage of a manual worker, i.e. €39 per day, and their insurance contributions will be covered by the traineeship scheme. Farmers who choose to welcome refugees and migrants will receive aid of up to €20,000 and businesses up to €300,000, while priority will be given to those close to shelters or offering accommodation and transport.
«Practice» in tourism, construction and agriculture
The terms and conditions of the new internship programme for refugees and migrants were defined in a Joint Ministerial Decision signed yesterday by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance N. Papathanasis, the Minister of Labour and Social Security N. Kerameos, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security A. Efthymiou and the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Asylum Sevi Voloudaki. The programme is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
Actions cover key sectors such as agriculture, construction, tourism, and specific programmes for women, enhancing employment opportunities and social inclusion.
The implementation has been undertaken by the International Organization for Migration in cooperation with the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum.
Asylum seekers in the programme too
According to the EO, beneficiaries are adult beneficiaries of international protection, i.e. recognised refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection who reside either in accommodation facilities of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum or in urban areas, beneficiaries of temporary protection (see Ukrainians who have come to the country due to war), legal migrants and, and here is the particularly interesting part, asylum seekers in the framework of the pre-accession procedure.
39 euros per day
Priority will be given to applicants with previous experience or skills in the subject area in which they wish to undertake a traineeship, which should lead exclusively to an increase in their skills and increase their chances of integration into the market.
After the completion of 270 hours of internship, the beneficiary becomes entitled to receive from the Implementing Entity a one-time monetary compensation of 100% of the applicable minimum daily wage for each day of internship, i.e. 39,30 €.
From €20,000 to €300,000 in aid to businesses
In agriculture, up to 10 beneficiaries may undertake a traineeship with the same employer - professional, with the maximum amount of aid being 20.000.00 € per enterprise.
In the construction and tourism sectors, the maximum amount of aid is €300,000.00 per undertaking.
Sevi Voloudaki: «It will contribute to local and national development»
In her statements, Deputy Minister of Migration, Sevi Voloudaki, stressed that «with this new initiative we are giving immigrants the opportunity to integrate smoothly into Greek society, acquiring essential skills and employment prospects. Internships, in cooperation with the private sector, are a bridge between education and work, strengthen social cohesion and contribute to local and national development».
260,000 workers are missing
It should be noted that 4 out of 10 companies say they are short of workers and an estimated 260,000 workers of various skills are missing from the country. The biggest problem is found in unskilled workers and manual workers as well as skilled craftsmen.
«Solution» the foreign hands
Just a few hours ago, leading central bankers warned that the world's largest economies will face a shortage of the labour they will need to fuel growth and keep prices stable for decades to come.
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said that the influx of foreign workers would play a «key role» in countering the negative impact of demographic trends on economic growth.
Indeed, Lagarde noted that without the influx of foreign workers, the eurozone would have 3.4 million fewer people of working age by 2040.
