For the first time, the majority of employees (53.7%) earn over €1,000 per month, according to ERGANI’s annual report. However, nearly half of workers (46.3%) still receive less than €1,000 per month.

Most private-sector employees (462,644 people) earn between €1,001 and €1,200, while 357,832 workers earn between €901 and €1,000. Only 98,000 employees receive a salary above €3,000, while 239,000—most likely working part-time—earn up to €500 per month.

The average salary in 2024 was recorded at €1,342, showing a 7.2% increase compared to 2023 (€1,251) and a total rise of 28.3% since 2019 (€1,046).

Specifically, the average full-time salary recorded by ERGANI in November 2024 was €1,470 (+18%), exceeding expectations and fueling hopes for future wage increases. The Ministry of Labor’s leadership even estimates that the average full-time salary will surpass €1,500 within 2025.

ERGANI’s annual report also highlights a reduction in the gender pay gap, which narrowed to 3.7 percentage points in 2024, down from 4.08 percentage points in 2023.

The majority of businesses in Greece, as well as workers, are concentrated in the retail sector, followed by the food service industry at a relative distance.

In 2024, there were 93,312 more employees compared to 2023, marking a 4.1% increase (2,390,157 employees versus 2,296,845 in 2023).

The number of businesses employing workers under private-sector employment contracts in 2024 stood at 301,114. Including branch offices in locations different from their headquarters, this figure rises to 351,552. In comparison, in 2023, the number of businesses employing workers was 298,255.

Business Breakdown

• 87.82% of all businesses (264,440 companies) have between 1 and 10 employees, while another 10.4% (31,320 companies) employ between 11 and 50 workers.
• In total, the 301,114 businesses employ 2,519,726 workers. The majority (673,001 employees or 26.71%) work in 35,414 companies that have between 10 and 49 employees.
• The largest number of businesses (48,497 or 16.11%) operate in the retail trade sector. Another 35,343 businesses (11.74%) are involved in food services, while 27,114 businesses (9%) operate in wholesale trade. The top five industries are rounded out by the health sector (17,319 businesses or 5.75%) and legal and accounting services (11,317 businesses or 3.76%).
• Among the 2,519,726 employees, 129,569 individuals work for more than one employer.

Employment Trends in 2024

• Compared to 2023, 93,312 new jobs were recorded in 2024 (+4.06%).
• 76.41% of employees (1,826,360 people) work more than 35 hours per week.
• In terms of salaries, the largest group of workers (462,644 people or 19.36%) earn between €1,000 and €1,200 gross.
• 1,107,158 employees (46.32%) earned less than €1,000 gross per month in 2024.
• The largest share of employees (981,760 people or 41.08%) are aged 45–64. Another 901,886 workers (37.73%) are aged 30–44. This means that nearly 8 out of 10 employees (1,883,646 people or 78.81%) are in the prime working age group (30–64 years old).
• The majority of workers (312,983 people or 12.64%) are employed in retail trade. The food service industry follows closely, employing 245,957 workers (9.93%), while wholesale trade (229,031 or 9.25%), education (110,141 or 4.45%), and the food industry (109,700 or 4.43%) complete the top five employment sectors.
• Nearly 4 out of 10 businesses (137,789 or 39.19%) are headquartered in Attica. Similarly, half of the country’s workforce (1,206,391 or 50.12%) is employed in this region.
• The number of employees aged 15 to 29 in 2024 was 469,634, representing an increase of 12,137 workers (+2.6%) compared to 2023.

A key driver of the 2024 wage increases was the reinstatement of seniority bonuses (three-year increments) for private-sector employees, along with a 6.4% increase in the minimum wage starting April 1, 2024. However, wage trends vary significantly from industry to industry.