Discover the global hiring and employment landscape in Greece – where the strategic geographical position and a highly educated workforce offer unique advantages. Specializing in tourism, shipping, and services, Greece provides fertile ground for businesses aiming to expand into the European and Mediterranean markets.
| Taxable Income (EUR) | Progressive Tax Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Up to 10,000 | 9 |
| 10,001–20,000 | 22 |
| 20,001–30,000 | 28 |
| 30,001–40,000 | 36 |
| Over 40,000 | 44 |
There are no local taxes on employment income in Greece.
The following contributions shall be calculated based on the employee's wage of up to EUR 7,373.53 per month.
| Contribution Rate | |
|---|---|
| Main e-EFKA | 13.33% |
| Supplementary e-EFKA | 3% |
| Healthcare Coverage | 4.55% |
| Other Funds | 1.41% |
| Contribution Rate | |
|---|---|
| Main e-EFKA | 6.67% |
| Supplementary e-EFKA | 3% |
| Healthcare Coverage | 2.55% |
| Other Funds | 1.65% |
Employers shall pay their employees' salaries at the end of each time period, which is the basis of its calculation—daily, weekly or monthly. However, it is permissible, by individual agreements. to specify different payment intervals.
In the event that there is no agreement on payment intervals, the last day of the time period on the basis of which the salary is calculated is considered a late day.
Effective April 1, 2024, minimum wage in Greece is set as follows:
| Daily Minimum Wage | Monthly Minimum Wage | |
|---|---|---|
| General employees | EUR 37.07 | EUR 830 |
| Artisans | EUR 37.07 | - |
Employees shall be entitled to receive bonuses in the form of Easter Holiday Allowance and Christmas Holiday Allowance.
| Amount for salaried workers | Amount for wage workers | |
|---|---|---|
| Easter Holiday Allowance | 0.5 month's salary | 15 days' wages |
| Christmas Holiday Allowance | 1 month's salary | 25 days' wages |
The Christmas and Easter allowances shall be paid in full as long as the employee's relationship with the employer lasted the entire relevant time period, that is January 1 to April 30 for Easter allowances and May 1 to December 31 for Christmas allowances.
Those whose employment relationship did not last the entire period shall have their entitlements prorated as follows:
| Prorated Bonus** | |
|---|---|
| Easter Holiday Allowance | 1/15 of half the monthly salary or 1 daily wage for each 8-day period of employment |
| Christmas Holiday Allowance | 2/25 of the monthly salary or 2 daily wages for each 19-day period of employment |
**Note: For a period shorter than 19 days or 8 days, respectively, the employee shall be entitled to a corresponding fraction.
An indefinite-term employment contract can be terminated at any time by written notice either on the part of the employer or the employee.
While employers are not explicitly required by law to state their reasons, they still should not exceed the limits of good faith. The unilateral dismissal of an employee can be classified into regular dismissal and irregular dismissal.
| Notice Period | Severance Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Dismissal | Yes | 50% |
| Irregular Dismissal | No | 100% |
The termination is considered valid only if the proper procedure is followed and the employment of the dismissed person has been registered in the records of the I.K.A. payroll or if the dismissed person is insured.
Furthermore, dismissals may be invalidated if it is found to be discriminatory or if the terminated employee is protected from dismissals.
Employers who unilaterally terminate an employment contract with their employee through a regular dismissal are required to observe the following notice period:
| Length of Service | Notice Period |
|---|---|
| 1–2 years | 1 month |
| 2–5 years | 2 months |
| 5–10 years | 3 months |
| Over 10 years | 4 months |
The notice period for employees who voluntarily resign is half of those required for regular dismissal and shall not, in any case, exceed 3 months.
Employers who dismiss their employees without notice are required to pay the following severance in full:
| Length of Service | Severance Pay |
|---|---|
| 1–4 years | 2 months' salary |
| 4–6 years | 3 months' salary |
| 6–8 years | 4 months' salary |
| 8–10 years | 5 months' salary |
| 10 years | 6 months' salary |
| 11 years | 7 months' salary |
| 12 years | 8 months' salary |
| 13 years | 9 months' salary |
| 14 years | 10 months' salary |
| 15 years | 11 months' salary |
| 16 years | 12 months' salary |
Severance entitlement is halved for employees who are dismissed with notice or those whose employment are terminated due to retirement under certain circumstances.
Note: The salary used to calculate severance pay entitlement must be increased by 1/6 to account for the ratio of holiday gifts and holiday allowance.
The first 12 months of an indefinite-term employment contract is generally considered to be a probationary period where the employee can be terminated without notice and without severance pay unless otherwise agreed by the parties.
For fixed-term work, the probationary period must be proportionate to its expected duration and the nature of the work, and shall not exceed 25% of the agreed total duration of employment. In any case, probationary period for fixed-term employees may not exceed 6 months.
In cases where an employee was absent from work during the probationary period due to illness or another reason that suspended the employment relationship, the employer has the option to extend the probation for a similar period of time.
Note: When a fixed-term contract is renewed for the same position and duties, no new trial period is allowed.
Standard working hours for employees in Greece are subject to a maximum of 40 hours per week and the following daily maximums:
| Maximum standard working hours | |
|---|---|
| 5-day work week | 8 hours per day |
| 6-day work week | 6 hours and 40 minutes per day |
Where an employee's daily working hours exceed 4 hours, they must be granted a break time of 15–30 minutes, during which the employee is not bound by their workplace. Such break shall not be counted as working time and shall not be granted at the start and end of each daily work.
Employees may be required to work in excess of the standard hours at the employer's discretion, provided that they are paid a 20% premium on their hourly pay and their total working hours do not exceed the following legal limits:
| Maximum legal working hours | |
|---|---|
| 5-day work week | 9 hours per day or 45 hours per week |
| 6-day work week | 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week |
Any work in excess of the above limits are considered overtime, and can only be done in case of an emergency and if the employer has registered the overtime in the ERGANI Information System beforehand. These employees shall be paid a 40% premium on their hourly pay, with employers observing the following maximum hours limitation:
| Upper limit | |
|---|---|
| Overtime hours | 150 hours per year and up to 3 hours per day |
| Total working hours | An average of 48 hours per week over a period of up to 4 months |
Further overtime work in excess of the above annual limit may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Ministry of Labor, where the employee is paid a 60% premium on their hourly pay.
Failure to comply with the aforementioned conditions for overtime work makes it classified as illegal overtime. For each hour of illegal overtime, the employee is entitled to a 120% premium on their hourly wage.
Employees are entitled to a minimum daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours and weekly rest period of 24 consecutive hours, which is given in principle on a Sunday.
Employers are obligated to submit, through their personal account, to the Labor Inspectorate's online portal their application for a work permit on Sundays by 1:00 p.m. of the working day immediately before the Sunday.
| Premium for work on Saturday (or other 6th day) | Premium for work on Sunday (or other 7th day) | |
|---|---|---|
| 5-day work week | 30% | 75% |
| 6-day work week | - | 75% |
Employees required to work Sundays are entitled to the following compensatory time off work as a substitute of their weekly rest:
| Compensatory time off | |
|---|---|
| Work on Sunday is over 5 hours | 24 hours on another working day in the following week |
| Work on Sunday is 5 hours or less | Equal rest period on another working day |
Employees shall not be required to work on public holidays, and without any loss of wages, unless the employer has completed the necessary approval procedures. There are 14 days of public holiday in Greece for 2024.
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 |
| Epiphany | January 6 |
| Orthodox Ash Monday | March 18 |
| Greek Independence Day | March 25 |
| Orthodox Good Friday | May 3 |
| Orthodox Easter Sunday | May 5 |
| Orthodox Easter Monday | May 6 |
| Labor Day Holiday | May 7 |
| Orthodox Whit Sunday | June 23 |
| Orthodox Whit Monday | June 24 |
| Assumption | August 15 |
| Ochi Day | October 28 |
| Christmas Day | December 25 |
| Boxing Day | December 26 |
Employers are obligated to submit, through their personal account, to the Labor Inspectorate's online portal their application for a work permit holidays by 1:00 p.m. of the working day immediately before the holiday.
Employees required to work on public holidays shall be paid a 75% premium on their hourly wage.
Employees who have completed a continuous year of employment shall be entitled to the following paid annual leave:
| Annual leave entitlement | |
|---|---|
| 5-day work week | 20 working days |
| 6-day work week | 24 working days |
Since employees are are entitled to their paid annual leave from the start of their employment, the leave entitlement for their second year shall be prorated according to the time they actually worked in the first year.
In any case, an employee's annual leave entitlement shall increase by a working day per year of employment in addition to the first, up to the following maximums:
| Maximum annual leave | |
|---|---|
| 5-day work week | 22 working days |
| 6-day work week | 26 working days |
Furthermore, employees may be entitled to an increased annual leave depending on their seniority, as follows:
| For senior employees | For employees with high seniority | |
|---|---|---|
| 5-day work week | 25 working days | 26 working days |
| 6-day work week | 30 working days | 31 working days |
Senior employees refer to those who have 10 years of service with the same employer or 12 years of service with any employer, while high seniority refers to having 25 years of service, regardless if it is with the same employer or not.
The time for taking annual leave shall be settled between the employee and employer, with the employer being obligated to grant any leave within 2 months of its request.
Annual leave are generally granted in full, though it may be taken separately if there is an urgent need and that the following rules are observed:
| Dividing into 2 periods | Dividing into more than 2 periods | |
|---|---|---|
| 5-day work week | The first period should not be less than 5 working days | One of the period should not be less than 10 working days |
| 6-day work week | The first period should not be less than 6 working days | One of the period should not be less than 12 working days |
In any case, the leave shall be taken by the end of the first quarter of the following calendar year, the failure of which shall result in the employer being liable to cash out any unused leave. Employers must compensate their employees double if the annual leave not taken is because of a fault on the part of the employer.
Finally, in addition to their regular pay, employees are also entitled to receive an annual leave allowance, the amount of which is equivalent to half the employee's salary or 13 daily wages.
Note: Employers have the obligation to electronically notify the Information System of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (ERGANI), within the month of April, details of the employees who received the annual leave and the leave allowance according the previous calendar year.
Employees who are unable to work due to a relatively short-term illness are entitled to be absent from work without the threat of termination. What is considered "short-term" may vary according to the employee's length of service.
| Length of service | "Short-term" illness duration |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 years | 1 month |
| 4–10 years | 3 months |
| 10–15 years | 4 months |
| Over 15 years | 6 months |
Employees who have been employed for at least 10 days are entitled to be paid for a portion of their sick leave, as follows:
| Paid sick leave entitlement | |
|---|---|
| First year of employment | 15 days |
| Subsequent years of employment | 1 month per year |
The employer shall pay for the first 3 days of illness at 50% of the employee's daily wage and, for the remaining period, the employer must cover the full wage, minus any amount due from the relevant social insurance organization. This pay obligation is SHARED for all incidences of employee absence due to a valid reason, which includes sickness and maternity, among others.
Employees may also be entitled to additional disability leave and other health-related leaves, including those taken for blood collection, blood transfusions, pre-natal and gynecological checkups and treatments for AIDs and COVID-19.
Employees are entitled to 8 weeks of pre-natal leave and 9 weeks of post-natal leave, with the latter portion of the leave being available to those who adopt a child up to 8 years old. In the event of premature or late births, the following applies:
| Maternity leave entitlement | |
|---|---|
| Premature birth | The remaining leave shall be granted after birth so that the leave time reaches a total of 17 weeks |
| Late birth | The leave taken before the birth is extended until the actual date of the birth without entailing the corresponding reduction of the 9 weeks of post-natal leave |
Employees who have been employed for at least 10 days are entitled to be paid for a portion of their maternity leave, as follows:
| Paid maternity leave entitlement | |
|---|---|
| First year of employment | 15 days |
| Subsequent years of employment | 1 month per year |
The employer shall cover the employee's full wage, minus any amount due from the relevant social insurance organization. This pay obligation is SHARED for all incidences of employee absence due to a valid reason, which includes sickness and maternity, among others. Once exhausted, the employee will have to rely solely on their social insurance income.
Note: Working mothers are also entitled to a range of additional maternity benefits, including having a flexible working arrangement after the end of their maternity leave. More on this can be accessed here.
Employees are entitled to 14 working days of paid paternity leave, which must be taken upon the birth of their child or the arrival of an adopted child up to 8 years of age.
This leave can be taken in its entirety after their child's birth or by having 2 days of leave taken before the expected date of delivery and the remaining 12 days be taken in whole or in part within 30 days from the date of birth.
In the event that the newborn is hospitalized during the first month after its birth, the employee and employer may come to an agreement to have part or all of their paternity leave immediately after the completion of the child's hospitalization.
Employees who have at least a year of service are entitled to 4 months of parental leave, which can be taken continuously or in parts until their child reaches 8 years of age. This entitlement is granted to each working parent.
A parent's right to parental leave is independent for each child as long as a year of actual employment with the same employer has elapsed since the end of the leave granted for the previous child. As an exception, parents of twins, triplets or more multiple children are entitled to receive parental leave for each child separately, intermittently or continuously.
Furthermore, this leave entitlement is doubled for single parents whose partner has died or is not exercising parental care for the child. Single parents may also be entitled to an additional 6–8 days of leave in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The allowance for parental leave is covered by the DYPA in accordance with the applicable regulations.
Note: Employees with children shall also be entitled to a range family-related leaves and benefits depending on the specific circumstances they are facing. More information on these leaves and benefits are provided by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and Labor Inspectorate.
| Leave | Paid/Unpaid | Duration | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bereavement Leave | Paid | 2 days |
This leave can be taken in the event of the death of a spouse, children, parents and siblings. Working parents may be entitled to a longer leave of up to 20 days. |
| Examination Leave | Unpaid | 30 days per year | This leave is applicable to eligible student employees to participate in taking exams. This leave is paid for by the OAED. |
| Graduate Student Examination Leave | Unpaid | 10 days | This leave is applicable to eligible student employees to participate in taking exams, and is valid for 2 years. This leave is paid for by the OAED. |
| Marriage Leave | Paid | 5–6 days | For employees who are getting married or entering a cohabitation agreement. Those working 6-day weeks are entitled to 6 working days of leave, while those working 5-day weeks are entitled to 5 working days of leave. |
Other resources: Protection of Military Personnel | Leave for Trade Unionists | Leave for Trade Union Training
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